Desperate Measures
by kelly4
Summary: Clark and Lois' discoveries will turn their current lives upside down and bring about revelations that threaten to shatter their future.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is a very different kind of story than I've written, it's much more sci-fi (which isn't necessarily my strong suit!) so I hope it works! Also, the only spoilers are really through Arctic, as I started writing it prior to season 8 airing :) Enjoy!

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**October 2009**

"Smallville, think you can pick up the pace here? I'd like to get back to Metropolis before the next millennium," she grumbled.

Rolling his eyes in response (he really had been hanging out with her too long), he glanced over at a very disgruntled Lois Lane.

"We're hardly going slow, Lois."

"Well I don't understand why we're in this stupid truck to begin with. What's the point of having a best friend with superspeed if he can't get you were you wanna go in a fraction of the time?"

"Look at it this way, I just wanted to spend as much time with you as possible," he said, his voice laced with sarcasm. "Especially with the _charming_ mood your in. Besides, getting the truck to Metropolis to get it fixed for Ben is the least I can do, seeing as he's pretty much running the farm these days."

She shifted in her seat, turning toward him.

"Ya know, I'd think you'd be in a bad mood too. We totally got scooped."

Sighing, he looked over at her quickly before turning his eyes back to the dark country road. Truth was, he was a little more than ticked that they had gotten the Sanders story ripped out from under them. The scandal of the Mayor's chief aide, supposedly one of the more upstanding men in Metropolis, in bed with the Garbini syndicate was big stuff. And it would have gotten them a definite front page above the fold byline.

But he also knew, in the year since they'd become partners, that they had done more than their fair share of scooping the competition. They were probably due some payback.

Not that Lois would see it that way.

Truth be told though, it was one of the things he admired most about her. How strongly she felt things, yes, but moreso that for the most part, she wasn't afraid to show it. Not that there weren't exceptions, there was no question Lois Lane had walls that rivaled the Great Wall of China, but over the years, he had considered himself lucky enough to be one of the select few people she allowed a glimpse behind those walls.

His eyes shifted to her once again, the moonlight streaming in from the passenger side window showcasing her tense jaw, her stormy eyes. Though, he thought with a bit of satisfaction, a little less stormy than they had been.

His plan had worked. Somewhat.

After Lois had gotten the heads up that the Herald was running a story on Sanders in their late edition, he had jumped in to do damage control. As luck would have it, his mother had been in from Washington, and there was precious little that a home cooked meal by Martha Kent couldn't fix. Even the seemingly impenetrable Lois always seemed to fall prey to Martha's meatloaf and homemade apple pie.

"I'm not exactly happy about it," he finally responded. "But there isn't a whole lot we can do about it at this point, Lo."

"Unbelievable."

"What?"

"It's just, you amaze me sometimes. There are times when I think you're even more stubborn than I am…"

"If that's even possible…," he muttered.

"I heard that," she snapped. "And then…there are other times when you can just let things go. I don't get it."

He smirked, and not even the darkness could hide it from Lois. "And you hate that."

"Damn right I hate it!"

"I live to surprise you, Lois."

She softened slightly at that, and even focused on the road, Clark could tell that some of the angry tension has disappeared in the last few moments.

"Yeah…well, if we're talking surprises, I'd really like you to surprise me one day by taking me flying."

Shaking his head slightly, he looked over at her, not knowing whether to be relieved that being scooped had taken a backseat or frustrated that this topic was coming up. Again.

"I told you, I'm not that good at it yet."

"Which is exactly why you need me," she protested.

"Oh this should be good. How exactly, Ms. Lane, do you think _you_ can help me fly?"

"Let's be honest, Smallville, obviously, you just need some of my encouragement. I mean, let's review. When you were in a state of constant brooding, who was it that always helped you snap out of it?"

"You," he said, his tone wary.

"And when you were contemplating staying on the farm your whole life, who gave you the kick in the butt you needed to get yourself together and get a job, even going so far as to bring you the application?"

"You," he muttered, not liking where this is going.

"And who, pray tell, when you kept going out with that insipid Tracy from "Lifestyles", even when you and I both know you had little to no interest in her and just couldn't bring yourself to hurt her feelings, who told you to man up and be straight with her?"

"You," he responded, grumbling now.

"So clearly, when you need a shove in the right direction, I'm the one who is always there with a very willing push. Therefore, it stands to reason that if you're having trouble with the whole airborne thing, that a good Lois Lane kick in the ass should be all the help you need."

"Lois, I think flying is a little bit different than relationship advice."

"And that, my friend, is why you're still earthbound."

"What?"

"You're not even willing to _try_," she responded, a note of petulance in her voice bringing a grin to Clark's face.

"Oh don't sit there and act like this is all for my benefit. You wanna fly Lois Lane."

She opened her mouth, a retort ready to be fired, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw what appeared to be a sphere of light off in the distance.

Though, it didn't appear it would be _distant_ for long.

"Clark?"

"Lois…if I promise to take you…"

"Clark," she snapped, cutting him off and nudging him sharply with her elbow. He turned his head quickly, his eyes widening immediately as he saw exactly what she was looking at.

"What the hell is that?" she whispered.

"I don't know," he responded, a note of anxiety in his voice. Steering the truck over to the side of the deserted road, he quickly got out of the car, watching as the light grew bigger by the second.

"Stay in the car."

Lois rolled her eyes, then immediately jumped out of the passenger side.

"Lois!"

"It's not even heading this way anymore," she said defiantly, hoping to mask some of the nervousness she was feeling. Sure, they were still in Smallville, but that didn't mean some of the weirdness in this town didn't play on her nerves.

Just as those words left her lips, Clark had noticed the same thing. The light had seemed to veer to the right, still growing larger to the point that the normally star dotted sky had been blanketed in white.

He headed around to the passenger side of the truck, noticing the light beginning to descend more toward the ground. He knew that there was nothing around for miles but cornfields, so he wasn't concerned about anyone being harmed.

Until he felt the earth start to tremble beneath them. Losing her balance, Lois stumbled into Clark's arms, and he instinctively pulled her tightly to him.

"What the hell's happening?"

Lois twisted herself around and looked up at his face, his eyes now staring directly where the light was headed, his body firm as he held her against the tremors of the earth underneath their feet. She noticed his eyes had taken on a look of realization.

"Clark?"

Suddenly the earth stopped shaking, though Clark still held Lois tightly to him. They both watched as the light hit the earth…but not with any sort of sound, any sort of blast.

It hit… gently. Almost as if it simply enveloped the place it landed, enrobing it in a soft, warm light.

Once again finding his eyes, she saw a bit of fear mixed in with the realization she had seen moments before.

"What is it?" she asked quietly.

Tearing his eyes away from the now faint glow in the distance, he looked down at her.

"The caves. It hit the caves."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - **_The first part of this chapter was inspired by a suggestion that, since Lois knows the secret, it would be cool to find out how she found out, so there's a flashback to the big reveal (g). Enjoy!_

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_**Valentine's Day, 2009**_

_Holding the remote, Lois mindlessly flipped through the channels, desperately trying to find something not painfully and over-the-top sugary romantic to watch._

_Her eyes glanced over at the plastic bag still sitting on her dining room table. Clark had brought it earlier. In it, were three of the scariest and most downright terrifying horror films she could think of._

_Their little homage to how much Valentine's Day completely sucked. _

_A few minutes after he had arrived though, he had looked momentarily distracted, then fumbled through some excuse about thinking he left his iron on, promising to be back as soon as he could._

_Finally settling on the Cartoon Network (really, how sappy could cartoons be? Not very she hoped.), she rested the remote down next to her on the sofa._

_His iron was on._

_She laughed to herself, thinking of him stuttering out that excuse._

_Yeah, she was gonna have to talk to him about that._

_It had been about a half hour since he'd rushed out when she heard her door swing open. Lifting her eyes from the adventures of Huckleberry Hound, she saw him walk in the door, grinning at her sort of sheepishly._

"_Sorry."_

_She shrugged. "No problem. So did you leave it on?"_

"_Huh? Oh, yeah. Good thing I went back. My oven was on 450. I would have come home to a sauna."_

_She gave him an incredulous look, then burst out laughing, confusing him completely._

"_What?"_

"_You know, if you're gonna give these lame excuses when you have to rush off, not only do you need some better ones, but you gotta remember to keep them straight."_

_His eyes widened at that, and he was hit with the realization of what he'd said to her. He thought, momentarily, about trying to cover, but knew deep down it wouldn't do any good. She was clearly onto him, at least in some way. She may not know the specifics but she definitely knew he was hiding something._

"_I told you I left my iron on."_

"_Yeah," she said, still chuckling._

"_Um, well…" he said, running his hand through his hair, and avoiding meeting her eyes._

_Seeing him struggle, she waved her hand, brushing his clear discomfort off. "Save it Smallville. So…what do you wanna watch first? I personally vote for Texas Chainsaw Massacre, though Prom Night is always a good one, especially on Valentine's Day."_

"_Don't you…wanna know?"_

"_Know what?"_

"_Where I was?"_

"_Only if you wanna tell me," she shrugged. "So, are you gonna pick or not? Because you've got 10 seconds before I pick the kick off movie for the Valentine's bloodfest."_

_For some reason, Clark felt…confused by her response. He wasn't sure what to do with it. She clearly wasn't going to push it, and for some reason, that kind of disappointed him._

_It was that thought that made him realize what had been tickling at the back of his mind for months now._

_He wanted her to know._

_And of course, being Lois, she seemed to be content with the exact opposite of what he wanted. _

_Before he could even really think about it, he heard the words coming out of his mouth._

"_I was helping someone."_

_Lois looks at him and shrugged. "Okay," she said, then stood up to retrieve the bag on the table. Sitting back on the sofa, she reached in and pulled out the slim DVD cases._

"_There was a car accident on Washington Street. I um…I heard it…so I went to help," he continued, waiting for her to respond._

_She nodded sort of absently, continuing to peruse the back covers of the cases for a moment, before she looked up suddenly._

"_Wait, you heard it? How the hell did you hear it? You were standing practically in that spot right before you rushed off."_

_Clark couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction at successfully getting her curiousity going._

"_I um…I have this ability."_

_Lois nodded, clearly waiting for him to go on. "Yeah?"_

"_I guess the best way to put it is I have super sensitive hearing. I can hear, well, everything."_

_Lois narrowed her eyes at that, falling back against the sofa. "Wow. Well, I guess that must come in handy with the ridiculous amount of strength and speed you have."_

"_Yeah…I can hear when something is….wait a minute," Clark paused, his eyebrows practically disappearing into his hairline when the words she had just spoken to him sink in. "What did you just say?" _

_She simply smiled a very cryptic smile at him, her eyes sparkling at having completely surprised him. Clark slowly stepped forward, then sunk into the large armchair next to the sofa she was occupying._

"_You know?"_

"_Well, clearly I don't know everything because the superhearing thing is news to me. But yeah, I know about the whole faster than a speeding bullet ability you seem to have, and that you're strength goes beyond that of a strapping farm boy."_

_He continued to stare at her, wide eyed._

"_But…how?"_

"_Oh come on Smallville, do you think I'm stupid?" she asked, receiving a stunned headshake 'no' in response. "Remember last fall? We got assigned that story, the one where we had to pretend to be a couple to get the goods on that blackmailing wedding planner?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_And she was starting to piss me off, and you being you, decided you needed to stop me before I smacked her into next week. So you did. By kissing me."_

_Looking confused, Clark simply shook his head, not making the connection. Lois rolled her eyes before continuing._

"_Work with me here, Smallville. You kissed me."_

"_We covered that."_

"_Well, let's just say, I recognized it. That kiss answered a certain burning question of mine. Especially after I found out I had been right in the first place about Oliver."_

_At that, Lois could see the realization begin to creep into his features._

"_After I found out Ollie was the Green Arrow, I always wondered who had been covering for him that night. When you kissed me…"_

"_You knew it'd been me," he interjected._

"_Yup. Complete with chucking a guy across the alley and running away faster than the speed of light."_

"_Why didn't you say anything?"_

"_You obviously didn't want me to know, Clark, or you would have told me," she said matter of factly. _

"_It's not that I didn't want you to know Lois…I trust you…"_

"_Smallville," she said, cutting him off after hearing the tinge of guilt in his voice. "It's okay. Look, I'm sure you have your reasons. I don't know what they are, and I may not agree with them even if I did, but they're still your reasons, and I can respect that. I figured you'd tell me when you were ready."_

_He cocked his head slightly, looking at her with a hint of amazement. That statement, it shocked him coming from her, considering her pit bull attitude in her job, a job that required digging for the truth._

_But on the other hand, it made complete sense that she would feel that way. Lois tended to be a 'live and let live' kind of person, so long as no one was getting hurt, or no injustice was being done. And she'd known him long enough and well enough to know that any abilities he had would be used to help, not harm._

"_What?"_

"_Thank you," he said sincerely._

_Shrugging, she tucked her legs under her on the sofa. "Sure. Besides, your meteor powers are your business." _

_He leaned back in the chair for a moment, before what she said dawned on him._

"_Meteor powers?"_

"_Yeah…you know the whole speed, strength, hearing thing."_

_For some reason, Clark smiled at that. He had begun to tell her all when she had turned the tables on him, with him becoming the surprised one._

_The tables were about to get turned back – and there was little more in life that he enjoyed than the chance to shock Lois Lane. For the first time that he could remember, he was actually looking forward to telling someone his secret. And it was of little surprise to him that that person was Lois._

"_Why do you have that goofy smile on your face?" she asked warily._

"_You ever take astronomy, Lois?"_

_Clearly perplexed, she answered, "Yeah. Well, 'took' it. I needed a science requirement, I signed up for it, and showed up for the first two classes and then the midterm."_

_This time it was Clark's turn to look confused. "That's it?"_

"_I can't be held responsible for not attending a class that started at the ungodly hour of 8 AM. If the school wanted me to attend, they should have had the class at a more respectable hour. Besides, even if I had wanted to go to the class, the university booted me out before the semester ended, remember?"_

_Clark nodded, "So, you didn't exactly learn anything from the class?"_

"_Like what?"_

"_Like…about whether or not there's life on other planets. In other galaxies."_

"_Ohhhh, you mean in a galaxy far, far away?" she teased. "What the hell are you getting at Smallville?"_

"_Do you think there's life on other planets?"_

"_I don't know. I'm sure it's possible, but you know me, I'd need proof."_

_Standing up, he walked over to the sofa and sat down next to her. He wasn't sure what possessed him to do it, but he picked up her hand and gently held it against his chest. For a moment, he swore he heard her breathing pick up as her hand rested against him._

"_What are you doing?" she asked, trying to hide the hint of nervousness she felt in her voice. _

"_I'm your proof," he stated simply, his eyes never leaving hers._

_Her brow creased at that, obviously not understanding. "Proof of what?"_

"_Of life on other planets."_

_She didn't react for a moment, just stared at him as her fingers rested against his dark blue button down, feeling the heat of his skin through his shirt. He watched her closely, trying to read any flicker of reaction that crossed her face. _

_Finally, she narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you drunk?"_

_Leave it to Lois to come out with a response even he didn't expect._

"_What? No!"_

_She nodded slowly in response to that, her eyes travelling slowly from his face to her hand, the hand he was still holding snugly to him._

"_My abilities," he said, seeing her trying to comprehend his statement, "they don't come from the meteor rocks. I'm…I'm from a planet called Krypton."_

***

**October 2009**

Clark wasn't sure why that memory just came thundering into his mind at that particular moment. Maybe because it was one he held close to him, remembering Lois simply listening as he talked, never even once trying to pull away her hand from his grasp as he told her about his heritage. That night, despite the fact that he was confiding in her all the ways he was different from the people of this planet, she'd made him feel for the first time that he actually _did_ belong in this world. And in the face of the danger he often encountered, or the strange happenings that were all too frequent in his life, like the unknown sphere of light they had just watched crash into the caves, it was the memory of that night that helped ground him.

"Clark?"

He tore his eyes from the cave, looking down at the woman still in his arms.

"You okay?"

She nodded, "Yeah. What _was_ that?"

Clark pulled his arms from around her, and Lois immediately felt a chill envelope her at the loss of contact with him. Crossing her arms in front of her, she bit her lip. This denial thing was getting harder by the day.

"I don't know," he said, and Lois picked up on the anxiety in his voice. "I'm gonna go check it out. Stay in the truck, alright?"

"Like hell," she said, "I'm going with you."

"Lois…"

"Clark…"

"I have no idea what's in there," he said, his voice rising slightly. "And I'm not gonna risk you getting hurt."

"Oh please," Lois said, rolling her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you I'm not your damsel in distress?"

"I know you're not, but…"

"But nothing. You can Speedy Gonzalez over there by yourself, but if you think I'm not gonna follow you, you're crazy. So, let's just dispense with the back and forth since we both know what's gonna happen anyway."

"You're gonna get your way," he grumbled.

"Naturally. Besides, this isn't just about me. I'm looking out for you, Smallville."

He looked at her incredulously. "How do you figure that?"

"We don't know what happened in there."

"Exactly!" he said, feeling like she'd just proved his point that it was way too dangerous for her to come along. "It's safer if you just let me go check it out on my own."

"And what if there's kryptonite in there, Clark? I'll grant you, the odds may be slim of that being the case but like I said, we don't know what happened in there. If anything."

He sighed, knowing this was a battle he was going to lose. Lois Lane was becoming one of the best investigative reporters in Metropolis for a reason – she never backed down in the face of a challenge, and he admired that aspect of her personality. Even if it also scared the hell out of him sometimes.

"Okay, on one condition. If I tell you to run, you _run_, alright?"

She gave him a petulant look at that, but his eyes remained determined. Rolling her eyes, she acquiesced, "Alright."

"Alright. Let's go," he said, tilting his head for her to come closer to him so he could pick her up. As she took a step though, he saw her eyes suddenly cloud over and her knees buckle slightly.

"Lois!" he said, alarmed as he reached out to grab her. One arm reached around her waist as his other hand landed on her arm, attempting to steady her.

She closed her eyes against the sudden wave of nausea and dizziness that had overcome her. Feeling his arms almost instantly come around her, she leaned her head against his chest, trying to get her bearings. Consciously taking a slow, deep breath, she closed her eyes, her hands bracing herself against him.

"Lois, what's wrong?" he asked, unable to keep the fear out of his voice.

Feeling whatever had affected her pass, she pulled back, grateful to still have his arms around her.

"I'm fine, Clark," she responded, her voice the tiniest bit shaky.

"Lo…"

"I guess my equilibrium was thrown off a little by that mini earthquake," she said, attempting to wave off the worry she saw emanating from those beautiful eyes of his.

"Maybe we should get you to the hospital," he suggested worriedly, receiving one of her trademark punches on his arm in response.

"Smallville, really. I just got dizzy for a second. That's it. Now come on, we've got a cave to investigate," she said, looping her arms around his neck, signaling to him she was ready for him to pick her up.

He looked at her hesitantly, and she couldn't help but feel a bit of warmth spread through her at his concern for her. After a moment, he leaned down slightly, putting one arm behind her knees and the other around her waist, scooping her up in his arms.

"I'm gonna hold you to what I said, Lo. If I say run, you get out of there."

"Fine, fine, whatever," she muttered, before looking up at him. "Now, stop talking and start running."


	3. Chapter 3

After setting her down, Clark held his arm in front of her, attempting to keep her behind him. This, of course, did not go over well with Lois, who muttered about his hero complex and that she could damn well take care of herself. And even though he wasn't looking at her, he was sure she was rolling her eyes through her quiet diatribe.

It was dark, unsurprisingly, as it usually was there. Quiet, too, but while that was the norm, it was an _eerie_ quiet, an unsettling one. He stopped for a moment, using his x-ray vision to scout out what was immediately in front of them, and found it to be all clear.

"Just stick close to me," he whispered.

"I really think we'd get answers quicker if we split up," she countered.

"Lois," he practically growled.

"Clark, you have superhearing and superspeed, if I find anything, you can be there in a second!"

Clearly frustrated, he ran a hand roughly through his hair. She drove him crazy. Her fearlessness was something he admired in her, no doubt, but frankly it also terrified him.

Because the thought of something happening to her, something where he wouldn't be able to get to her in time, well, it frightened him beyond all comprehension.

And it was something he didn't dwell on a lot either, because if he did, he'd have to admit what he'd suspected for quite some time, but had been afraid to admit to himself.

He had feelings that were far from platonic for one Lois Lane.

Standing there, with her hands on her hips and shooting him her most challenging look, she was the picture of absolute stubborn determination, and he knew he basically had two choices. As usual.

Let her have her way. Or stand there and fight with her.

Of course, he could go all caveman, pick her up in his arms, and carry her along with him. However, that option would ensure a piece of kryptonite in his future, of that he had little doubt.

Sighing loudly, hoping to make clear to her just how much he hated this idea, he simply nodded. With a triumphant grin, she turned and started off down one leg of the caves. As she did, Clark focused his ears on the one sound that had become more of a comfort to him than any other sound in the world.

Her heartbeat.

Knowing that, if she encountered anything amiss, he could pick on it instantly. It was her greatest 'tell' as far as he was concerned, one he had yet to inform her he often used to make sure she was safe.

He turned his attention back to the darkness in front of him, heading the opposite way from Lois. Both alleys led to the same place, the place he'd spent so much time analyzing, hoping to find his way, trying to decipher his future.

Walking carefully, he used his x-ray vision to scan the walls and the ground beneath him, looking for anything out of the ordinary. It'd been awhile since he'd visited these caves, as he'd started to take control of his own life and hadn't felt the need to dwell on the old drawings. He could still hear Lois's heart; steady, a tad more accelerated than normal, but that was par for the course when she was trying to uncover something, when a mystery had her intrigued.

For a few more minutes, he repeated the same drill, walking, x-raying, checking in on Lois. He wasn't sure what to make of the fact that he hadn't come across anything terribly unusual, and, if her heartbeat was any indication, neither had Lois.

No sooner had that thought flown through his mind than he heard an increase in the steady pounding of her heart. Focusing further, picking up on the sound of her voice, he heard her breathless, anxious whisper.

"_Oh my God….are you…are you okay?_

He was about to superspeed to her, when the ground jolted violently, catching him off-guard and throwing him slightly off balance. Regaining his equilibrium, he took off in Lois's direction. In the next instant, just as he was about to enter the large center of the cave and reach her side, another blinding white light flashed - all too similar to the one they'd seen crashing into the caves earlier, knocking even him back against the hard, stone wall.

"Lois!" he yelled, trying desperately to see her through the light. He attempted to step forward, light be damned, but the force of it wouldn't allow him, even with every ounce of superstrength he could muster.

And just like that, the light disappeared, leaving an almost too-silent silence in its wake. Blinking rapidly, Clark pushed away from the wall the force of the flash had pinned him against, his eyes frantically searching for Lois.

It only took a moment before he found her. With a burst of speed, he was by her side as she lay; face down, her long hair in a windblown mess covering her face. Quickly tuning into her heart, he was relieved it seemed steady, confirming she was alive. One of her hands lay underneath her, while the other rested against the cave wall, touching just below the picture of the woman the Kawatche had believed to be Naman's soulmate.

"Lois," he called, his voice laced with anxiety as he gently shook her shoulder. He glanced around quickly; making sure things were safe, at least for the moment. "Lois, wake up," he said, leaning down a bit closer to her, reaching out and gently pushing her hair back from her face.

It was then that he noticed another heartbeat. Almost like an _echoing_. Not every beat matched Lois's, but he could distinctly hear another rhythmic thumping. Whirling around, he quickly used his vision to check out their surroundings once more, the sudden fear that they weren't alone overtaking him.

Deciding that he needed to get them out of there immediately, he turned back to Lois. He was about to turn her to carefully pick her up in his arms when he heard her groan.

"Lois? Lois, you okay?"

He watched as she lifted herself up on one arm, the other hand rubbing her eyes as if to wipe out any disorientation.

"Lois?"

"Clark?" he heard her whisper. She sat up slowly, her back still to him. "Oh God, it didn't work did it?" she asked nervously.

"What?"

She stood slowly, Clark reaching out to try and help her up from behind.

"We have to try again!" she exclaimed, turning quickly to face him. As she seemed to register him in front of her, he noticed her eyes take on a look of unmitigated shock. Confused, he began to look her over, searching or any sign of injury.

Ignoring for a moment the fact that she was gaping at him, he quickly perused her face. Not a scratch. Shoulders? Didn't look any worse for wear. Arms? He followed them down from her shoulders to where her hands now rested on her stomach.

Her very _large_ stomach. Much larger than it had been ten minutes ago.

And that's when it registered that the purple shirt and black pants she'd been wearing had been replaced by a short blue dress, cut high on her waist and billowing out over the prominent bump in her belly, with a thick off-white button down sweater covering her.

He was sure, now, that the look of shock she was currently directing at him was mirrored on his own features. He swallowed loudly, unable to help his eyes from travelling back to her stomach, where her hands caressed the bump protectively.

Her left hand, he noticed, wearing two shiny rings. Feeling his stomach drop, his gaze rested back on her face, now noticing the slightly darker hair that surrounded it.

What the hell had happened?

She closed her eyes tightly, rubbing her belly and whispering fervently, "This is not happening. This is _not_ happening."

He shook his head, his mind racing in a thousand different directions. Somewhere in the midst of the chaos, the thought occurred to him that he now knew the source of that echoing heartbeat he'd heard.

"Lois?" he asked weakly.

At the sound of his voice, her hand flew up as if to stop him.

"You need to turn around and walk out of here, Clark. Forget you saw me. Just…go back to the farm…or, wherever the hell it is you're living."

His brow furrowed, confused by her comment.

"I …I don't understand. I mean…you're…you're….," his mouth worked silently, trying to form the word he was looking for as he gestured toward her stomach.

"I know. Which is why you need to leave."

"I'm not leaving you here," he replied, his voice gaining back a bit of the strength it had lost in his utter confusion. "We came in here together, we're leaving together."

"Clark, I mean it...," she trailed off suddenly, tilting her head slightly. "Wait a minute. What do you mean _we_ came in here together?"

"What do you mean, what do I mean?"

She exhaled loudly, her eyes suddenly glancing wildly around the cave. Finally, they rested on the picture she'd woken up next too. Bit by bit, her mind traced back over the past few minutes, to the first time she'd stumbled back into consciousness.

_Groaning, she'd scraped her hand along the rocky surface of the cave floor. Curled up on her side, her hair flung over her face, one hand automatically flew to her stomach, anxiously waiting to feel the familiar flutter she'd been feeling for weeks now. She held her breath, the moments seeming to pass in excruciating stillness, before she finally felt the tiniest bump against her hand._

"_There you are," she'd whispered groggily. _

_Just then, a wave of nausea had swept over her. Moaning, she'd instinctively curled up a bit tighter. The hand still resting against the cave wall pressed against it, willing the dizziness to subside._

_She took a few deep breaths, feeling herself lapse a bit into a state of light sleep. So she wasn't sure if the faint footsteps she heard were real or some transient dreamworld she'd fallen into. Nor was she sure the whisper she heard was real._

"_Oh my God….are you…are you okay?_

_A hand rested on her shoulder, and just like that, the earth moved again and a white light engulfed her. _

_Just like it had earlier. Sending her back into a state of semi-consciousness._

Terrified eyes suddenly looked back at Clark.

"You weren't alone?"

"You know I wasn't, I was with you! I think the better question is how did you suddenly end up ….like that?" he practically yelled, pointing to her swollen belly.

Her focus shifted back to the cave painting of the woman, seeming to ignore his question. Hazel eyes widened suddenly, as if she'd realized something, and then with a sigh, she closed them.

"Oh crap."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N - **_Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback! Just a note, this story is basically AU since I started writing it pre-season 8, however I threw a reference to the Legion in this chapter. In this story's universe, they did come to Smallville, but only because of the Persuader and then they left. There was no Doomsday/Chloe's wedding stuff. :)_

_**_

She sighed loudly with realization, rubbing her hand over her forehead.

"That explains the dizzyness," she mumbled.

"What does?"

Despite the situation, a slight grin pulled at her lips at his question. Him and his superhearing.

"Forget it," she shrugged, attempting to deflect.

"No, you suddenly know why you got dizzy outside, then tell me!" Clark shot back, his frustration and confusion evident in the tone of his voice.

"Wait, she got dizzy…I mean, _I_ got … damn, how would you say that?" she trailed off, her brow furrowed as she looked at Clark, who continued to look hopelessly perplexed.

Not that she could blame him, given the situation.

"Look, Smallville, I know you're a little slow on the uptake sometimes, but, come on. You have to have figured out that I'm not Lois. Well, I mean, I'm Lois, of course. But not _your_ Lois. Or…your _current_ Lois."

If the circumstances had been different, she would've busted out laughing at the look of complete and utter befuddlement on Clark's face. And she was sure it was about to get worse.

"I'm…I'm from the future."

The words had no sooner left her mouth than his jaw practically hit the ground. His eyes swept over her form, stopping briefly at the shiny wedding band and engagement ring, resting slightly longer on her swollen belly.

"That's impossible," he mumbled, still in shock.

"Come on Clark, this _is_ Smallville, after all. You should know better than anyone that nothing's impossible in this town. Besides, it's sure as hell a better explanation than what you were apparently thinking, that after coming out to the caves with you, I'm married and six and half months pregnant in a matter of minutes," she snarked.

"But…time travel?"

"It's not like you haven't encountered time travelers before."

"That was different. They were aliens. You're…not."

"I can't argue with that," she quipped dryly.

He continued to stare at her, his mind trying to process what she was saying, when suddenly an icy fear slashed through him.

"Where's Lois…I mean _my_ Lois?"

Picking up the panic in his voice, Lois stepped toward him and placed a hand on his arm.

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm not 100% sure. But, if what I think happened actually happened? I'm sure she's fine."

"What do you think happened?"

She opened her mouth to speak, then quickly closed it. She had to be careful, very careful, about what she revealed. Especially to him.

"Why don't you let me ask the questions, huh Smallville? Like, when exactly _are_ we?"

"You tell me what happened to my Lois, and I'll tell you when we are."

Her eyes narrowed, a glimmer of appreciation flashing through them at his more confident tone as well as his obvious protectiveness of her younger self.

Measuring her words carefully, she attempted an explanation.

"Like I said, I can't be absolutely sure, but my guess is she ended up in my time."

"What makes you think that?"

"You said she got dizzy before, right?"

"Yeah, not too long after the light hit the caves."

She nodded. "Not that I'm an expert or anything, but I think it was because of me. I mean, I'm her, she's me and all that. In the same time, in the same place, I think it probably caused our bodies to react."

"You felt it too."

"Well I was a little out of it at first, but a few minutes later, when I started to come to, I heard footsteps and then yeah, I felt dizzy. I didn't see who it was, I just felt a hand on my shoulder and heard a voice, and that was when…"

"The light flashed," he finished quietly.

"Right."

"So…you think you switched places? Or…times, in this case?"

"Yeah, that would be my best guess. So, I answered your question, now answer mine."

"Huh?"

"The date, Smallville. Keep up."

"October 16th," he said absently, his mind still trying to wrap itself around her theory.

She rolled her eyes. "That's helpful," she snarked. "How about a year, farmboy?"

"What? Oh…2009."

She watched his eyes glance around the caves, clearly trying to find any proof that her explanation of what had happened to his Lois was true, while her own thoughts flipped back through the years, trying to recall the events of the year he'd given her.

Giving his clothes a quick onceover, she remarked, "You're working at the Planet."

He simply nodded, beginning to walk around, his hands running along the walls, looking for any openings or cracks that weren't there before.

October 2009. If she was remembering correctly, he'd been working with her at the Planet for a little over a year at that point. And, if her memories were accurate, she herself had been in a solidly firm state of denial regarding her feelings for her ridiculously handsome partner.

"Nothing," he muttered, his eyes resting on her once again. Then, he shook his head slightly, as if getting his bearings, and walked quickly over to her. He took her gently by the arm and guided her to a large ledge.

"You should sit down," he said softly. "You've been through a lot…and you're…," his voice trailed off as he gestured to her stomach.

"Pregnant? It's okay, Clark, you can say it," she said, laughing softly.

He swallowed hard, taking a seat next to her, his eyes falling on the rings that adorned her left hand.

"Your husband must be really worried about you," he said, and she picked up the note of sadness in his voice. She bit the side of her lip to keep from smiling.

Landing in October 2009 had also put her directly in the midst of one Clark Kent's rapidly growing feelings for her.

"Well if my theory is correct, he won't have time to be worried. He'll be dealing with a younger version of me," she said, allowing the smile she'd been holding back to take over her lips.

He looked at her for a moment, nodding slightly in response to her words. "You don't look different. Well, except for the obvious."

"I'm actually not from too far from now. Only 7 years. 2016 to be exact," she said, then suddenly stood up. "Look, we have to get out of here. I need to get somewhere where I can figure out what the hell to do. Plus, we need to come up with a way to get your Lois back here where she belongs."

"I'll take you to the farm. It's quiet and you won't risk running into anyone."

"Good call, Smallville," she said, gesturing for him to lead the way out of the caves. She had just taken a few steps behind him when he stopped suddenly.

"Wait."

"What?"

"My mom's there. She's home from D.C. for a few days."

Lois pondered that for a moment, weighing her options, before finally shrugging. "That's okay. It's still safer than anywhere else. Besides, if anyone would understand, she would, given everything _she's_ seen."

He turned to continue walking, before suddenly stopping short again, this time causing Lois to bump into him.

"Can you stop doing that?"

Wordlessly, he stepped forward and scooped her up in his arms.

"It's faster this way," he stated simply, a grin on his face. Within seconds, he was depositing Lois in the passenger seat of his truck. He walked quickly around to the driver's side, getting in and starting the ignition.

Lois looked at him, her heart twisting at the worry that continued to crease his gorgeous features.

"Clark, I'm sure she's fine," she said softly, reaching out to gently tuck a stray lock of hair behind his ear. It was such a familiar gesture to her, one she'd done countless times.

It was, however, _unfamiliar_ to the man sitting frozen next to her, his eyes widening slightly at her touch.

Clearing her throat, she snatched her hand back, feeling her face flush slightly.

"It's just that, when you were carrying me, I could feel your heart pounding," she said, rambling in an attempt to cover. "So…I know you're nervous but you know her, well, me…whatever," she continued, beginning to confuse herself, "We'll fix it. I promise. And remember, we're not gonna be the only ones trying. I'm sure when a younger version of me showed up in 2016…," she trailed off, trying to come up with a way to finish that sentence without giving anything away. Finally settling on a general statement she was sure he couldn't read anything into, she continued, "Everyone will know something went wrong and they'll be trying to make things right, too."

He breathed out at that, relaxing a little bit and sending her a small but grateful smile. Putting the truck in gear, he began to make a u-turn on the old, deserted road, ready to head back to the farm. They drove in silence for a few minutes, stealing glances at each other once in a while, lost in their own thoughts.

Then, out of nowhere, Clark hit the brakes, suddenly jerking the car toward the side of the road.

"What the hell?"

He killed the engine, then turned toward her.

"You said my name."

"What?"

"In the caves. When I found you. You said my name."

Shifting her eyes away from him, she rubbed the back of her neck roughly.

"I recognized your voice," she muttered weakly.

"And then you said that it didn't work and _we_ had to try again," he continued as if she hadn't spoken at all.

She swallowed thickly, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose.

"Was I with you Lois? Am I the one who sent you here?"


	5. Chapter 5

"_I recognized your voice," she muttered weakly._

"And then you said that it didn't work and we had to try again," he continued as if she hadn't spoken at all.

She swallowed thickly, pressing her fingers against the bridge of her nose.

"Was I with you Lois? Am I the one who sent you here?"

Never before had she prayed so hard that he wasn't using his superhearing on her, because if he had been, he'd have heard her heart pounding frantically at his question.

"Lois?"

"Clark…no one should know too much about the future," she said, her voice strained.

"That's not an answer. Or maybe it is," he said, his eyes narrowing as he watched her avoid his gaze.

She took a deep breath in, her mind attempting to come up with an answer, one that would work without giving everything away. She glanced toward him, watching her closely, waiting for her response. Every moment she didn't give one was a moment she knew his mind was racing with the possibilities, a suspicion she confirmed when she saw his eyes flick to her left hand, resting momentarily on her wedding band.

A few more moments of tense silence passed, with Lois hoping the darkness of the night seeping through the windows of the truck was enough to hide the anxiety on her face.

She _had_ to answer him. The problem was, Clark was one of the few people who could read her like a book. If there was anyone on the planet who would be able to tell she wasn't being honest, it was him.

_So don't be completely dishonest._

The thought rang through her head, and with it, she felt her heart rate slow slightly.  
She could do this.

"Well, it's not that far into the future, Clark," she said quietly, measuring her words carefully.

"What does that mean?"

"We _are_ still friends," she said, and that wasn't a lie. He was her _best_ friend, and she his.

"Friends?"

"Yeah, and friends help each other, right?" she continued, her voice gaining back a bit of the confidence it had lost when his question had sideswiped her.

"Well, yeah," he conceded, leaning back slightly toward his own seat.

"Besides," she continued, "I did end up in the caves. That should have been your first clue," she said lightly, proud of herself for managing to be somewhat honest, even if there were large omissions in her explanation.

"Right, yeah I guess I should have figured," he said quietly. "So, I was helping you," he stated.

"Yes."

"So…I guess your husband and I get along, if I was helping you guys and all," he said, and Lois picked up on the disappointment in his voice, though she could tell he was trying to cover. She looked down at her left hand resting now in her lap, the gold band shining in the darkness.

"You definitely approve," she answered softly.

He simply nodded at that, sending her a small smile, a smile Lois recognized all too well. It was the same sad smile he'd given her when, before they were dating, he'd asked her to dance at the office Christmas party. At the time, she'd been so confused by her own feelings for him that she'd stammered out some lame (and false) excuse about having to finish up an article (after three glasses of bubbly no less) and it just couldn't wait, because man, that Tess was a slavedriver and she demanded that article be on her desk by midnight. He, of course, had assumed she was just trying to let him down easy, and had given her that same smile, complete with the Clark Kent puppy dog eyes that threatened any speck of resolve she could manage to muster up.

They'd been back on the road for a few minutes when Clark broke what had become a slightly tense silence between them.

"So, what was I helping you with?"

"Clark…"

"Come on, Lois, it'd make me feel a lot better knowing what's going on, particularly since my Lois is part of this too."

"I know, and I know you're worried but…I can't tell you. What I can tell you is that part of this was planned, at least me ending up in the past. Just not, well, _here_. And it was only going to be temporarily, until things were," she paused, weighing her words, "back to normal. Which is why I need to just be somewhere quiet to try and figure this out, because obviously things did not go completely according to plan."

"So you expected some of this?"

"Yeah. The end result, if not the end time, is still the same. That's the most important thing, at least right now," she said cryptically.

"But maybe if you tell me more, I can help. You did end up in the caves, so maybe…"

"Clark, if it comes to that, I'll let you know as much as I can okay? But, for your sake and mine, I need to try and figure this out alone first."

He sighed at that, a hint of defeat emanating from him. In truth, she felt the same. She couldn't tell him what he wanted to know, but a side effect of that was her not being able to ask the questions she needed to ask.

As they'd been driving, she'd immediately thought of the fortress, thinking possibly Jor-El might have a solution or, at the very least, have an idea of what had gone wrong. Racking her brain though, thinking back to the time she was currently in, she was fairly certain Clark had yet to rebuild the fortress. Of course, it was an assumption on her part, but she feared, at this point, asking that particular question would bring up more questions from him than answers.

Her best bet was to just keep quiet on the subject. For now, at least.

She turned toward him, still noticing the resignation coloring his features at her refusal to be more forthcoming about the situation.

"You know, the farm was a great idea, Smallville. Metropolis would have been way too risky," she said, in an attempt to lift his spirits a bit. She knew what it felt like to be helpless, and knew without a doubt that he was struggling with that particular feeling right now, what with being pretty much completely in the dark, dealing with a future Lois, and not knowing with any real certainty what had happened to _his_ Lois.

"Yeah, the chances of you running into people you know would have been pretty high. Although..." his voice trailed off as he glanced at her quickly before turning back to the road.

"Although what?"

She could see his jaw set determinedly, as if he were about to speak words he didn't really want to say.

"Maybe we should contact your husband."

Her eyes widened at that, before she caught herself and managed to scoff at the suggestion. "We can't."

"Why?"

"Uh…well don't you think it would be a little awkward considering?" she asked, motioning toward her stomach.

"But maybe he can help."

"Even if he could, that would fall under the category of someone knowing too much about the future, don't you think? Besides, he couldn't help anyway."

"Why not?"

"Because he can't!" she exclaimed, frustrated.

"Well, maybe if you tell me his name I can decide for myself if he can help!"

She looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me? _That's_ what this is about? You just wanna know who it is?"

It was her luck that they passed under one of the few streetlights on the old dirt road at that moment, so she could see the redness beginning to stain his cheeks.

Unable to help herself, she giggled.

"Smooth, Smallville."

The tension broken, Clark smirked slightly. "It was worth a shot."

Her laughter trailed off as they pulled into the long driveway. Pulling up aside the house she'd come to love as her second home, Clark took the keys from the ignition and turned to her.

"I actually was really trying to help."

"In addition to fishing for information."

"Hey, I learned from the best," he said, an adorable grin on his face that melted Lois' heart.

"Good answer," she said, returning his smile, before focusing her gaze on the lit front porch. "Ready to try and explain this to your mom?"

He nodded, his large hand wrapped tightly around the keys. Noting the concern that had crept back into his face, she reached over and covered his hand with hers.

"She's fine, Clark. I'm sure of it. Think of it this way, if your Lois got sent to my time, then she's in good hands."

When he shot her a quizzical look, she squeezed his hand slightly.

"You, or, your future self, were helping me right? That means she's with you."

**October 19, 2016**

The silence was almost deafening.

Oh sure, Clark Kent could still hear the ever present hum of the world that was always with him, alerting him to distress, letting him know where he was needed.

But all of that noise couldn't make up for the loss of the one sound he craved.

Her heartbeat.

That, and more recently, the one that had begun to echo it. The small, yet steady beat of their child's heart.

When they'd come up with this plan, with the help of Jor-El and input from their friends in the JLA, it hadn't occurred to him that he would lose that, even temporarily.

Climbing into his car, parked near the entrance of the caves, he leaned back against the driver's seat, closing his eyes.

_She's safe now. They both are. That's all that matters._

For that, he would live with missing the sound of her heartbeat for a few days.

And now it was time to start ensuring that Lois could safely return. He had five days until the portal would reopen, according to Jor-El. Then, Lois would be sent back to her rightful time, none the worse for wear and, more importantly, she'd return to a time and place where her well-being and that of their child would be guaranteed.

A job that was now in the hands of Superman and a few of his friends from the Justice League.

It had been a long time coming, the disposal of this threat, and they knew they had to proceed with the utmost caution. It had been in the works for months, just waiting for the one smoking gun needed to end it once and for all. For justice to be served, and for _him_ to get what he deserved.

The timeline, though, had been pushed up when Lois and the baby had been targeted. It had been a threat so much different than any they'd faced before, mostly because of her current condition. And it was because she was pregnant that she'd been willing to go into hiding. Normally, Lois would have insisted she stay and fight.

But their child, their _miracle_, one that they hadn't even been sure was possible, that was enough to get her to agree almost instantly.

Not that there weren't risks to what they were doing. But it _had_ to be this way. Stashing Lois in some safehouse where he or Oliver or Bart could check on her regularly wasn't an option.

She had to disappear completely. Practically off the face of the Earth. Because great lengths, those of a desperately obsessed person, would be gone to to find her.

Pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with an air of determination, he pushed the keys into the ignition and turned, hearing the engine roar to life. He was heading back to the farm tonight, and Oliver was meeting him there later to go over the evidence the League had collected so far.

Shifting the car into gear, he began to make a U-turn on the dark but very familiar old dirt road. His mind, always working (Lois liked to say she'd rubbed off on him) had begun mentally going through the files he'd left locked up in a small safe in his old bedroom, files the League had collected over the last six months detailing various activities, none of them enough to convict or even really accuse on their own, but together, were building a body of nefarious work that couldn't be denied.

They were still lacking that final piece, though they were getting closer. Clark could feel it, and Oliver had seemed confident that the evidence they needed would be obtained in time when they'd spoken a couple of days earlier.

He kept his eyes focused on the road, though his mind was elsewhere. So much so that when he first picked up a strangely muffled sound, he didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until almost a minute later, when it had become clearer, that he slammed on the brakes, causing the car to spin back toward the caves.

A lump formed in his throat as the sound, one that was so unmistakable to him, rang through his ears. The sound that gave him strength, calmed his soul, and that was a promise of light even when he encountered the darkest of forces.

The sound he'd thought gone for the next five days.

Letting out a harsh breath, anxiety rolling off him in waves, Clark jumped out of the car.

"It can't be," he muttered. "She was gone, I made sure."

It was at that moment that a sickening realization washed over him.

He only heard _one_ heartbeat.


	6. Chapter 6

**October 2016**

There she was.

Lying there, face down, her long brown hair streaming over her shoulders.

It had felt like an eternity, the few seconds it had taken Clark to superspeed back to the cave. It was dark, a bit of hazy dust flying around. It _seemed_ like something had happened.

The question was what?

He heard a soft moan emanating from her, and in two long, quick strides, he was kneeling besides her, his hand resting lightly on her arm.

The sound of the one, single heartbeat pounded in his ears, inspiring a flood of relief and terror at the same time. Relief that _her_ heart seemed to be safely intact and beating. Terror that harm had come to their child. Their miracle.

"What the hell?"

The soft, yet exasperated murmur met his ears as she began to push herself up on the arm resting beneath her. Clark tightened his grasp on her arm, gently trying to turn her toward him without upsetting or alarming her. He just needed her to face him. It was clear she was still groggy, and that would give them the opportunity to x-ray her quickly without alerting her to his fears.

With her free hand, she swatted several long brown tendrils from her eyes, before turning just her head toward him. As her eyes rested on him, he noticed a confused look flash through them, before she blinked quickly several times, then brought her hand to press against her head.

"I must have hit my head harder than I thought," she groaned, closing her eyes briefly. "I'm hallucinating you wearing glasses."

His jaw dropped slightly at that. Tugging insistently, he turned her to fully face him. His eyes quickly swept down over her, stopping at her very slim, very _not_ pregnant belly.

Now, it was Clark's turn to blink quickly in a state of utter confusion. For the first time, his mind registered her clothes – a dark purple blouse and black pants. Definitely _not_ what she'd been wearing earlier.

Panic began to rush through his veins, though he forced himself to maintain the outward appearance of calm. He once again swept his eyes over her, this time using his x-ray vision to make sure she wasn't suffering any injuries. He tried to swallow, but his throat felt as dry as a desert. He reached out and gently placed his fingers under her chin, lifting her head slightly. The movement caused her to open her eyes, and seeing her familiar hazel orbs staring back into his own, albeit through a fog of pain and confusion, helped settle him slightly.

It was _her_. That much he knew. Only Lois' eyes could make his heart skip a beat like that, even in the midst of a completely nerve wracking situation.

Finally finding his voice, he asked softly, "Are you okay?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a Mack truck, but I guess I should be used to that by now," she muttered.

Gathering his wits about him, needing some answers, he tenderly moved his hand to her cheek, allowing her to lean into it to give her aching head some support.

"I'm gonna ask you some questions, alright? Make sure you don't have a concussion or anything."

She merely nodded in response, her hand coming up to gently grasp his.

"What's your name?"

"Lois Lane."

"Who am I?"

Her lips ticked up into a small smile. "Smallville."

His own lips curved into a small grin at hearing her now-affectionate nickname for him.

"Where do you live?"

"Metropolis."

"Good. What's today's date?"

"October 16th."

"And the year?"

"2009."

The simple, matter-of-fact answer almost knocked him off balance. His hand dropped immediately from her face, taking hers with it.

The number she'd uttered swam through his head, along with all of the ramifications. And the fear.

This _wasn't_ the plan. And if that had gone wrong...what else had? He'd never hyperventilated before, but he was sure, with his breathing quickening to the point where it felt like he couldn't force a single breath to enter his body, that this was probably what it felt like.

He was torn from the worst case scenarios his mind was suddenly all too eager to create when, suddenly, Lois began looking around almost frantically, her hands reaching down to brush over the floor of the caves.

"Where is she?" she mumbled.

"Who?" he practically choked out.

"The woman. She was right here," she said, her voice becoming more tinged with anxiety.

"You saw her? Was she alive?" he asked, grabbing her shoulders and startling her momentarily.

Picking up on the agitation in his voice, Lois faced him. "Yeah, she was. I didn't see her face or anything, but I could hear her moaning a little bit."

Her words sinking in, Clark exhaled loudly, feeling some of the tension leave his body.

"What…what did she look like?"

"Like I said, I didn't see her face, she was sorta lying on her side. Long brown hair, from what I could see. Blue dress and a light-colored sweater, I think anyway. The lighting isn't so great in here."

Relief flooded him as the implication of what she'd said washed over him.

_She was alive._

And he had to believe the baby was too. He wouldn't let himself think otherwise. Jor-El had assured him the plan, and travelling through the portal, was safe for both Lois and the baby, but since something had so obviously gone wrong, the extra assurance that Lois had been safely transported, although not to the correct year, helped to calm him a bit. He closed his eyes briefly, allowing himself a moment to compose himself, letting the most of the panic leave his body. He was startled, though, when he felt her fingers tug at the thick, black frames of his glasses. His eyes flew open, seeing the flummoxed expression on her face.

"I…what the hell, Smallville?"

"Lois…," he then paused, not quite sure how to continue. Pulling himself up, he then leaned down, grasping her arm and pulling her up alongside him. She stumbled a bit, grabbing his left hand to steady herself. Suddenly, she stopped cold. Turning his hand in hers, she looked down, then back up at him, eyes wide.

"How the hell long was I out for?"

"Huh?"

Moving her hand to his wrist, she pulled it up so it was between them, Clark's eyes now staring at his shining, gold wedding band.

"You're _married_?"

Clark gulped. "Lois…"

"Okay, I know this town is weird and all, but I get knocked on the head, again. I wake up and you're wearing glasses out of nowhere, then, of course, there's the incredible disappearing woman, and now you're married? I mean….," she trailed off, her shoulders shrugging helplessly. "Is there a camera in here I should know about? This some weird elaborate Punk'd episode or something?"

"No…no cameras. And it's not a trick."

"So…you _know_ what's going on? Care to explain?"

"Lois…it's not 2009 anymore."

Her head moved back slightly at that. "I'm sorry, what?"

"It's not 2009. It's 2016."

She shook her head, as if she were shaking out the cobwebs. "2016?"

"Yeah. You came through a time portal."

"A time portal? And I'm in the future?"

"Right."

Mouth agape, she slowly walked over to one of the stone ledges and sank down. "Okay….well, I guess that's better than what I was thinking."

"Which was?"

"That I was lying here unconscious for seven years," she quipped dryly.

Unable to help himself, he grinned at her snark, despite the situation. "As if I would ever let that happen."

She grinned fleetingly in response, her eyes drifting over his face. "Your eyes go south on you? Too much heat and x-ray vision?" she asked, nodding toward his glasses.

"No, nothing like that."

"So, what's the deal?"

He tilted his head slightly. "You're taking this awfully well."

"It's Smallville, Clark. Besides, after finding out my best friend is an alien with superpowers, nothing much can shock me anymore. Now, how about you answer my question?"

"Or, how about I don't? Look, Lois, knowing too much about the future can be a dangerous thing."

"Knowing why you need glasses seems pretty harmless," she mumbled, and he picked up on the slightly annoyed tone in her voice.

"Let's just say I need them, alright?"

"Fine," she muttered. Her eyes then travelled back to his left hand. "So I guess all the worrying that you'd end up alone was for nothing, huh?"

He'd known her long enough now to know the many inflections of her voice. The little hitches, the lilts, the tiniest of note changes that were a mirror into how she was feeling. It was something he'd just started picking up in the year she'd come from, but now? He was an expert. And he could hear the smallest bit of sadness as she asked him that question. In her time, he knew his younger self had been rapidly falling for the young woman sitting next to him. What he'd found out later, after they'd been dating for awhile, was that Lois had been nursing a pretty healthy crush on him at the time as well.

"Yeah, I guess it was," he answered simply.

Immediately, her head snapped up. "Oh God, you ended up marrying Lana didn't you? And don't give me that 'I can't tell you because you shouldn't know too much about the future' crap, because seriously, that? I would need to be prepared for."

He chuckled, noting the flash of jealousy in her gorgeous hazel eyes. "I'm not telling you who it is…but I will tell you it's not Lana."

She pursed her lips to the side, nodding. "Okay, fair enough."

"Listen, Lois, I need you to tell me exactly what happened, everything you remember, okay?"

"Okay, well, you…I mean, the younger you, and I were at the farm having dinner with your mom. We were driving back to Metropolis when we saw this white light heading toward the caves. So, we went to check it out."

"I was with you?"

"Yeah. We split up once we got into the caves, so we could cover more ground."

"I'm guessing that was your idea, not mine."

"It was, and you were only too happy to go along with it."

"I doubt that," he mumbled, which earned him a patented Lois Lane eyeroll.

"_Anyway_, I came in here," she said, gesturing to where they were currently sitting, "and I saw this woman lying right where you found me. I heard her starting to come to, so I went over and leaned down, and asked her if she was alright. I put my hand on her shoulder and then there was like this blinding flash of light. Next thing I know, here I am, with you, a married man and wearing glasses in 2016."

"So…you touched her?"

"Yeah."

Clark nodded absently, his mind racing with possible explanations.

"Were you touching anything else?"

She gave him a quizzical look. "Just the cave wall," she said, "to steady myself."

"Where?"

"What?"

"Where exactly where you touching it?"

"I don't know…right next to where she was laying I guess."

His eyes wandered back to the spot he'd found Lois, the same spot he'd watched as his Lois had entered the portal. Right near the cave drawings of the bracelet. And his soulmate.

The portal must not have been completely closed. That _had_ to be it.

But that wasn't even his biggest concern. Something _else_ had to have happened, before his Lois ever reached 2009.

Because that wasn't where she was supposed to go. And it wasn't where, or more precisely_ when_, the portal would reopen in five days.

Swallowing down the fear that began to well up in his stomach, he assured himself that, for at least the next five days, she'd be safe. Even if the end time wasn't the same, her safety was still certain, at least from what had threatened her and their child. He'd just have to get to Jor-El as soon as possible and figure out what he could do to fix it.

With that thought, he stood, mumbling, "We need to get you out of here."

When she didn't respond, he turned toward her, seeing her look up at him with yet another question in her eyes.

"What?"

"It was her, wasn't it?"

"Who?"

"The woman I saw. That was your wife."

He sighed, holding out his hand to her. "Come on, we have to get going."

"Not until you answer me."

"Lois…"

"A simple yes or no, Smallville. I'm not asking you to tell me her name. Just tell me if I'm right."

Closing his eyes briefly, he nodded. "Yes."

She opened her mouth, but Clark's hand immediately flew into the air. "Don't ask me why she's there, because I can't tell you, Lois."

Clamping her mouth shut, and seeming to note the determined look on his face, she mumbled. "Fine."

He lowered his hand, once again holding it out to her. He could see, despite her outwardly taking this all in stride, that she was a bit off her game, and a little nervous, not that he could blame her. Giving him a small, but grateful smile, she slipped her hand into his, and he began to lead her out of the caves. They walked silently, until Clark heard a burst of laughter behind him. Stopping short, he turned to look at her.

"What's so funny?"

Her giggling subsided a bit as she met his curious eyes. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Well, you were in the caves with me, you know, back in 2009."

"So?"

She bit her lip, attempting to keep another fit of laughter from escaping. "I'm just imagining your younger self dealing with his future wife. And not _knowing_ it's his future wife. That has unintentional comedy written all over it."

Unable to help it, an amused smile graced Clark's lips.

If she only knew.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the feedback! I have NO idea if what I wrote here regarding the kryptonite would actually happen, but let's just say it's creative license lol, enjoy!**

*****

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**October 2009**

It was a strange feeling, walking up the steps to the loft. Really, she'd been there only hours before, working on the final preparations of the plan. But, being here now? It felt like she hadn't been here in years.

And, Lois supposed, in a way she hadn't.

In her time, Clark's _grown man's clubhouse_, as she called it – complete with her typically teasing eyebrow quirk - was more a place where he kept his memories of his life in Smallville. A trunk filled with his football trophies and jerseys, yearbooks, and family photo albums sat near the well-worn sofa. His old telescope once again took up residence by the window, and she smiled, remembering the many times he'd stood at the window with her, pointing out the different constellations in the sky, his voice soft in her ear and one arm snugly wrapped around her ever-expanding waist.

The only exception to his memory-keeping there were the framed pictures that littered the desk and old tables. Those were more current than the other past treasures that resided there, reminders of the important people in his life. Their wedding picture. A picture of his parents, next to a picture of the two of them with Martha. A framed photo of Lana and Pete on their wedding day, as well as one of Chloe and Bart, sat on one of the tables. An older snapshot of her with her arm around a wet Shelby, looking as if she was about to sneeze (it was Clark's favorite), sat on the table near the window, along with a photo of Oliver and Dinah from their engagement party. There was a shot of her, Clark, Jimmy, and Perry from the day that they'd won a local award for their first Intergang story, alongside her favorite photo, one she'd taken herself, of Clark, AC, Oliver, and Bart in the midst of a serious round of Guitar Hero.

The pictures that riddled the loft she now stood in, one seven years earlier than the one she'd become so used to, told a bit of a different story.

Her eyes scanned each and every one. One of her, Clark, and Chloe. One of her, Clark, and Jimmy. One of her and Martha. One of her and Chloe. One of her and Shelby. In fact, the only one she didn't appear in was the photo of his parents, the same one that still occupied the same spot in 2016.

Despite the stress of her current situation, she couldn't help but giggle. Clearly Smallville was still in the denial stage of their relationship. He probably didn't even realize the common denominator of all the pictures he had all over the loft, but that was his way. It was the same way he'd kept a framed copy of her rules of reporting in his desk drawer at the Planet the first year they'd worked together, or how he knew her daily routine practically down to the minute. They were things he did unconsciously, not being able to really admit to himself the reason behind them.

But he would. Eventually.

"Always was a little slow on the uptake," she murmured, an affectionate grin on her face as she sunk down onto the comfortable old sofa.

Closing her eyes, a sigh escaped her lips.

If the situation hadn't been so serious, she might have chuckled at the memory of the look on Mrs. Kent's face when Clark had stepped aside in front of her and revealed her…condition.

She had to give her credit though. Mrs. K. had taken the story pretty much in stride, aside from the wide-eyes and hints of confusion in her expression. Though, Lois supposed, after finding a little alien boy in a spaceship during a meteor shower, there probably wasn't much that would surprise Martha Kent anymore.

Not that it had been an easy conversation. She'd obviously already been quite an influence on Clark's investigative reporting skills, as he'd chimed in with comments and questions designed to try and get her to give up more information.

Of course, it hadn't helped that she'd almost slipped a time or two and referred to Martha as "mom", only covering just in time and stumbling out a "Mrs. K.".

The thing was, she hated lying to them, two of the most important people in her life. Granted, she knew she had little choice, and really, she wasn't lying so much as omitting, but still, it didn't make it any easier.

So, after about an hour of carefully worded conversation, Lois had excused herself, hoping some fresh air would clear her head a bit as well as needing to get away from Clark's inquisitive and worried gaze.

She had to think.

Feeling tendrils of anxiety beginning to weave their way through her stomach, she brought a hand to her forehead, the other gently rubbing her stomach in small circles.

What had _happened_?

They'd followed the instructions given to them to the letter. And it _partly_ worked, she'd ended up in the past.

But why _here_? It certainly wasn't anywhere near the time destination they'd planned.

If only she could talk to Jor-El, she thought, mentally berating her past self for not getting on Clark to get the Fortress up and running again sooner. And it wasn't like she could just go ask Clark to rebuild it, as that would definitely send up a zillion red flags and bring about many questions she was sure she couldn't answer.

Although…perhaps she could hint at it. Mention it in passing, hint that at some point in the future, he'd get the Fortress back online, and that he'd learn to love it there. She'd just leave the part about it being one of her _her_ favorite places, the one place in the world they seemed to be able to get away from it all and just be together, as well.

"At this stage of the game, though, hints might not be enough," she mumbled to herself, but then quickly slapped a hand over her mouth.

No doubt Mr. Overprotective-And-Curious was in the kitchen with his ears focused on her. And while, in her time, the knowledge that his superhearing was tuned into her, into her heartbeat, was not only comforting but endearingly romantic, at the moment, it was a bit annoying. She needed to talk things out to herself, it was one of her 'habits' when dealing with a story that didn't make sense or a problem that perplexed her.

But clearly, that coping strategy was out the window. She couldn't chance saying anything that would give future tidbits away.

Frustrated and more than a little tense, her eyes fell on the desk across from her. It was littered with papers. Though Lois knew, in this time, Clark didn't live at the farm anymore, he did still spend a lot of time there, and he liked to keep all of the research he'd done into the caves, into his home planet, here in the loft rather than in his apartment in Metropolis as a precaution.

Perhaps there was something in all of his findings that could explain things? Biting the side of her lip, she got up, and in two quick strides was in front of the desk, her hands rifling quickly through the papers. She opened the top left drawer, pulling out the objects and scanning them quickly. A box she set down on the edge of the desk, a notebook she quickly flipped through, a few pens and pencils.

Blowing her hair out of her face, she tossed the notebook and pens down before reaching into the middle drawer, her hands finding a thick stack of papers. She took them out, her eyes scanning each sheet before setting it down haphazardly on the desk. Vaguely, she registered a soft thump next to her, her eyes flickering down and noticing the box she'd placed there earlier had fallen to the floor. Shrugging briefly, her focus returned to the papers, her finger running down each one, eyes looking for any symbols pictured near the entrance to the portal. The same place where Clark had found her earlier tonight.

A wave of nausea shot through her suddenly. Swallowing hard, one hand drifted to her stomach.

"Easy there, baby," she whispered. A few moments later, she was rocked by another wave, this time accompanied by a searing flash of pain. Closing her eyes, she exhaled loudly, feeling beads of sweat begin to emerge on her forehead. Her hand gripped the edge of the desk as another stabbing pain racked her body.

She sank down to the floor, her body leaning heavily against the side of the desk. Her arm curled protectively against her belly.

Her breathing, now more of a harsh pant as the almost crippling cramp-like aches continued to torment her, mixed with an occasional small whimper. As her own soft moan of pain hit her ears, one thought occurred to her.

She'd felt like this before.

Once.

With sudden clarity, even in the midst of her agony, she knew what the problem was. Willing herself to pry open her eyes, they immediately fell on the box that had dropped. And opened.

A faint green glow emanated from underneath the opened box. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest as she braced her foot against the leg of the old desk, trying to push herself away. With both arms now wrapped around her stomach, as if to shield the innocent life growing in there, the product of such unimaginable love, she tried in vain one more time to distance herself from the source of her pain.

She knew, from experience, if she could just get far enough away…

It felt like hours though in reality it had been a couple of minutes at most, and panic was beginning to rise in her the longer her child was exposed.

Her eyes falling closed once more, she rested her head against the desk.

There was only one thing to do.

"Clark," she whispered, her voice hoarse with pain. "I need your mother."

**

The kitchen door swung close, leaving a stunned Martha Kent and a worried Clark in its wake.

"You really think it's okay for her to head out to the barn alone?"

"Clark, she's pregnant. Not helpless. Walking is allowed," Martha said gently, slightly amused at her son's obvious protectiveness over the future Lois.

The future Lois.

Yeah, she was still wrapping her mind around that one.

"You okay?" Clark asked, watching as his mother seemed to process the situation that had arrived on her doorstep.

"I thought I'd seen everything, but I guess _everything_ is relative when you live in Smallville," she responded wryly. "How about you?"

"I'd feel a lot better if I knew where Lois ended up."

"You don't think she ended up in this Lois' time?"

"Maybe she did, but there's no way to know for sure. What if she's hurt?"

"Honey, I know it's hard, but think of it this way. You found this Lois unharmed, and she's in a far more delicate state than our Lois was."

A grin tugged at the corner of Clark's lips. "That might be the only time anyone uses the word delicate to describe Lois."

Martha chuckled at that, her hand coming up to rub her forehead gently.

"Well this has been quite a night."

She looked up, noticing the far off look in her son's eyes.

"You're listening to her, aren't you?"

"I just want to make sure she's okay."

She reached over, covering his hand with hers.

"You're a good friend, Clark."

Meeting his mother's eyes, he smiled sadly. "Yeah, that's me. Lois' good friend."

She squeezed his hand gently, the glimmer of sadness she'd seen in his eyes since he'd first brought Lois into the house now a bit more pronounced.

For some time, Martha had suspected her son's feelings for Lois had grown significantly and veered sharply into romantic territory. Of course, he'd deny it if she ever broached the subject, insisting they were nothing more than friends and that Lois drove him absolutely crazy on the best of days. But the sparkle in his eyes when he was around her, the way he seemed to relax and smile in her presence, the very prevalent 'puppy dog eyes' often directed her way, not to mention the accumulation of framed pictures, all coincidentally starring Lois, she'd seen springing up each time she returned to the farm. It was obvious to her that, while firmly in denial, her son had fallen in love with the feisty Miss Lane.

And she couldn't have been happier. Until this moment, seeing the clear heartbreak on her son's face though he was trying to hide it.

"She seems happy, doesn't she?" he asked quietly.

A bit reluctantly, Martha nodded. "She does."

"I just hope the guy deserves her."

"As her friend, you'll just have to make sure of that."

Standing up, she walked over to Clark, placing a comforting arm around his shoulders.

"And that's what you have to remember Clark. You _are_ still her friend. And obviously a good one, if you were helping her in the future with what appears to be a very serious situation."

Clark nodded, swallowing hard before continuing. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course, sweetheart."

"Lois, she…somehow became my best friend."

"That's a good thing, Clark."

"Yeah…it's just…I guess I didn't realize how much I wanted…" he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck roughly before again finding his voice, "How much I wanted to be more than that, until tonight. When I found out I wasn't gonna be."

Her heart broke at his words, not only for the pain her son was in, but because she'd always harbored the hope herself that the brash young woman that had stormed into their lives like a force of nature would one day officially become a Kent. Though in Martha's heart, she'd been one unofficially for years.

"But she's still in your life, honey. Years from now, you still have Lois. It may not be the way you'd hoped, but she's there. And that's what matters."

Leaning over, he placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Thanks, mom."

"That's what I'm here for."

He ran his hand through his hair, an air of frustration suddenly emanating from him. "I just wish there was something I could do."

"I know…but really, until or unless Lois tells us anything more, our hands are tied."

"Maybe I could go back to the cave, look for any….," he stopped suddenly, his head snapping suddenly in the direction of the barn.

"Clark? What's wrong?"

"Her heart's speeding up," he said absently.

"Honey, she's under a lot of stress right now, I'm sure it's a natural reaction."

"Maybe I should go check on her," he said, turning to head toward the door. Within a moment, though, he'd turned back toward her and, without warning, scooped his mother up in his arms.

"Clark!"

"She needs you, Mom," he said, before speeding off in the direction of the barn.

**

Clark stopped at the foot of the steps to the loft, gently setting his mother down on the floor. She was a few steps ahead of him as quickly jogged up the steps. When she stopped short at the top, he heard the worry clearly in her voice.

"Oh my God. Lois, what's wrong?"

She disappeared from his view momentarily, until he reached the top step himself. His searching eyes found Lois, anxiety squeezing his heart at the sight of her crumpled in pain, her arms crossed in a protective manner over her swollen stomach.

He took a step toward her, when he himself was struck by a stabbing pain. A pain that was all too familiar to him, a pain he'd felt far too many times in his life. Falling to his knees, the breath practically knocked out of him, he attempted to brace himself on the floor with his hands, trying to push himself away from the glowing green rock he could see a mere few feet away.

"Lois," he heard his mother say, "Is it the baby?"

Even in the midst of his own agony, he could hear her panting, could hear the fear in her voice as she managed to mumble an answer to his mother.

"The rock," she moaned quietly.

He opened his eyes, finding his mother and reading her confused look. She looked back, her eyes meeting his, and they widened in surprised as she took in the sight of her son doubled over in pain. He glanced toward the direction of the faint green light coming from below the opened lead box, and in immediate understanding, his mother sprang toward it, gathering the rock in her hand and shoving it inside the box, snapping it shut.

For the next few moments, the only sounds he heard were the slowing of Lois' heart and the calming of her breathing. Clark lifted himself slightly, turning a bit so he could sit with his back against the railing. Feeling his own pain subside, he took a deep breath in, wiping at the sweat that had emerged on his forehead.

He blinked a few times, refocusing himself, finally taking in the scene before him. Lois was now sitting a bit straighter, her eyes open but fixed on the wooden floor beneath her. His mother's gaze was fixed on Lois, her eyes narrowing in confusion. After a moment, they dropped to the lead box still in her hands, then snapped back up to Lois, her mouth now agape.

"Oh, Lois," she whispered, then placed the box down and crawled quickly over to the young woman, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and placing a tentative hand on her belly. Slowly, Lois raised her head, smiling slightly at the older woman, and reached down to place a hand over hers.

His eyebrows knitted together in confusion not only at the sight in front of him, but at the events of the last few minutes. The sound of his mother's soft laughter filtered through his muddled thoughts, his blue-green orbs shifting their attention momentarily to the lead box his mother had placed on the floor.

"Lois," he said, "since when are you allergic to meteor rock?"

As the words left his mouth, he found himself looking once again at the two women in front of him, the smiles on their faces, their joined hands resting on Lois' belly.

And just like that, his question seemed absolutely pointless.

Because it wasn't _Lois_ who was sensitive to the Kryptonite.

His jaw dropped in utter shock as Lois' eyes finally found his. A crooked smile formed on her face, and she took one last glance at his mother before uttering one, simple word.

"Surprise."


	8. Chapter 8

_Surprise._

The word reverberated in his head for what seemed like hours, but was, in actuality, only about a minute.

The baby, Lois' baby, was his.

_Theirs._

Mouth still agape, his eyes dropped to her left hand, resting on the shiny wedding band. A ring that before had caused an almost suffocating flash of pain to rip through him. Now, though, the sight of it made his heart beat faster.

In anticipation. In happiness. In _relief_.

Watching every reaction flicker across his face, Lois gently squeezed her future mother-in-law's hand, still resting on her belly.

"Yeah, don't worry, Smallville. Your crush on me pays off. You _do_ actually get up the nerve to ask me out. Eventually, anyway," she teased, a note of anxiety present in her voice.

For whatever reason, that seemed to snap him out of it.

"Crush?" he asked, his expression slightly bewildered with amount of information he'd learned in the past few minutes.

Lois simply rolled her eyes, shooting a quick grin at Martha, "Please, Clark. Save it. You told me yourself after we started dating."

His eyes simply widened at that, knowing she was not only right about his heretofore hidden feelings, but that with her knowledge of the future, he didn't really have a leg to stand on.

The silence stretched out for a few long moments, Clark's wide-eyed stare still drifting from her face, to her swollen belly, to her wedding ring, and then back again.

Unable to take it any longer, Lois cleared her throat. "Look, I know it's a lot to take in. I was hoping you wouldn't _have_ to take it in. Right now, I kinda wish I could kick my younger self's ass for not talking you out of keeping meteor rock up here."

"Why didn't you want me to know?"

"Clark, knowing too much about the future is dangerous. I like my future. A lot. The more you know, the more things could change, and that's not really something I wanna risk."

"But something must be wrong," Martha quietly interjected, instinctively tightening her arm around Lois' shoulders. "You wouldn't be here if everything was alright."

Suddenly, Clark stood, appearing by Lois' side in what seemed to be a split second.

"Let's get you to the couch," he said softly, reaching down and gently lifting her into his arms, his mother's protective hug falling away as he cradled Lois against his chest.

"I_ can_ walk, you know," she said, a slight smile on her face. Clark blushed slightly, and she couldn't help but laugh.

He set her down on the old sofa before sitting beside her himself, his eyes unable to stop finding their way back to her very pregnant stomach, his lips unable to stop themselves from forming into a sappy grin.

Lois shot a glance toward Martha, who was smiling indulgently at her apparently awestruck son. Looking back at Clark, she reached out, placing her hand over his.

"You wanna feel?"

"Really? I mean, it's okay?"

"I wouldn't have asked you if you wanted to if it wasn't," she said, picking up his hand and placing it on her stomach. Clark watched intently for a few moments, before furrowing his brow and directing his gaze back at Lois.

"I don't feel anything."

"It's a baby, not a circus dog, Smallville. It doesn't perform on command. But believe me, the kid's a mover. You won't have to wait long."

"How far along are you?" Martha asked.

"About six and a half months."

"And, everything's been…okay so far?"

"So far, it's been a pretty normal pregnancy, aside from the little guy's, or girl's, aversion to meteor rock," Lois responded, sneaking a peek at Clark out of the corner of her eye, who was watching his hand on her stomach so determinedly she was surprised he hadn't x-rayed her yet.

Finally, after another minute, Clark's face lit up in a blinding smile.

"Wow," he whispered, his gaze meeting Lois'. "He kicked."

"Or she. And you don't have to tell _me_, Smallville, believe me, I've got front row seats."

"We don't know if it's a boy or a girl?"

"No, we don't. And so help me if you use your x-ray vision to try and see, I will _level_ you. Superpowered alien or not."

"Why do I have the feeling that's a threat my son has heard several times since you've been pregnant?" Martha teased.

"You have no idea," Lois muttered in return, eliciting a giggle from her future mother-in-law.

The brief moment of levity was cut short, though, by the serious expression now present on Clark's handsome face. Picking up on it, Lois swallowed hard, having a feeling she knew the line of questioning that was about to begin.

"What happened?"

"Clark…"

"It had to be something big. And bad, because there's _no way_ I'd let you and the baby out of my sight."

"Look, you already know too much."

"So a little more won't hurt. Lois, come on, maybe if I know why, I can help you get back home. And I can get _my_ Lois back."

"Well, the thing is…I can't go home right away."

"So Clark's right," Martha cut in. "It's bad."

Sighing in resignation, she looked back and forth between her future husband and mother-in-law. "Oh what the hell, the biggest cat's out of the bag anyway. But…I'm not gonna tell you everything. I'll tell you what you need to know to possibly help me, but that's it Clark. I need you to respect that."

"I will. I promise."

She nodded slowly in response, accepting him at his word.

"Well get comfortable, because it's a long story."

**

**October 2016**

Slamming the car door, Lois threw him a quizzical look over the hood.

"Why here?"

Shutting his own door, Clark replied, "Metropolis is way too risky."

"Because I might run into myself?"

He grinned, shaking his head slightly. "Nice try, Lo. I'm not telling you anything."

They began walking along the dirt driveway, heading toward the lit front porch of the old farmhouse, when suddenly Clark stopped, holding out a hand to keep her back.

"What?"

Her question was met with silence, followed by her hair whipping around her face. As soon as she swiped roughly at it, clearing her vision momentarily, another strong breeze stirred up, blowing the long strands haphazardly around her head.

Brushing it back, eyes narrowed, she turned to Clark, who was standing beside her.

"A little warning would have been nice. Where the hell did you go?"

"Come on," he said, gently grasping her arm and leading her through the kitchen door. Her eyes hungrily took in her surroundings, feeling safe here with Clark as she always did, despite the outlandish circumstances.

"This place never changes," she muttered gratefully, eliciting a small smile from Clark. She walked over to the large island and leaned against it. As Clark was getting a couple of glasses down, she allowed herself a bit of a closer investigation.

The refrigerator, normally covered with pictures, now only had one. The same picture of Clark and the Kents she'd seen there since she first arrived at the farmhouse to investigate Chloe's "death". Other than that, there were about ten or so magnets – holding up nothing.

Quirking an eyebrow up, her gaze wandered around the rest of the kitchen and into what she could see of the living room.

The furniture hadn't changed. The wall colors were the same. Even the throw pillows on the couch were the ones she remembered seeing only about an hour or two ago while she was having dinner at the farm in 2009.

Yet, what struck her? There was not a picture to be found.

Realization dawned on her as she turned to Clark, who was now pouring them each some iced tea, with a smirk.

"Pretty sneaky, Smallville."

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't _what_ me. You blurred in here and took down all the pictures!"

"Just taking precautions."

"So," she asked, hoping like hell she would be able to keep the hint of disappointment out of her voice, "Does that mean I know the future Mrs. Smallville?"

He pushed a tall glass of iced tea toward her. "I didn't say that."

"Then, why hide the pictures?"

"Because no one…"

"Should know about the future, yeah, I got it. But if I don't know her, what's the harm?"

"Either way, it's too much information," he said, grabbing the pitcher of iced tea and putting it back in the refrigerator.

Sighing with frustration, she took a long sip of the ice cold drink Clark had placed in front of her. As he shut the door, she once again noticed the picture of the smiling Kent family on it.

"You left that one up."

"You've seen that one before," he shrugged.

Leaning forward, she rested her chin on her hand, her eyes still on the slightly worn photo.

"Look, I know you can't tell me about the future, alright? But, can you maybe answer me one thing?"

"Depends what it is."

Taking one last look at the picture, she turned back toward him. "Your mom's okay, right?"

A soft smile graced his lips, her affection for his mother always touching him immensely. "She's fine, Lois. Don't worry."

"Good," she responded quietly before taking another drink of iced tea. Silence settled over them, Clark's gaze studying the countertop, though every so often his eyes would flicker to the wedding band resting on his left hand.

Seeing the anxiety creep into his features, she felt terrible for him. She couldn't imagine what he was going through, not knowing if his wife was alright, wondering what had happened to her, what had gone wrong, because clearly something had. Lois wasn't sure of much but she was pretty damn sure that Clark hadn't expected _her_ to show up.

She watched as his thumb slowly caressed his wedding ring, suddenly feeling a flash of jealousy surge through her toward the woman who was lucky enough to be loved by Clark Kent, who he'd chosen to spend his life with.

The woman who inspired such concern in those amazing blue-green eyes of his.

"Can I ask you one more thing?"

"Hmm?" he replied absently, his thumb still resting on the cool metal adorning his ring finger.

"We're still friends, right?"

His gaze rose to hers, the concern in his eyes melting into affection. _That_ he could answer with complete honesty.

"Best friends, Lo," he said softly.

"Okay, then," she said, reaching over and covering his hand with hers, feeling his wedding band beneath her fingers. She was still his friend, she told herself as the metal pressed against her skin, and that was what he needed right now. His _best_ friend. "Look, Clark, I know that I know zilch about what's going on here. And considering that, coming from me, this might not be all that comforting, but your wife _was_ alive when I saw her. She was moving a little bit and breathing, so that's a good thing, right? Plus, you, well the younger you, were with me in the caves, and I know you had your ears tuned into me because you were not a fan of the _split up to cover more ground_ plan that I came up with. Which means that as soon as, well, whatever happened happened, you'd have been there. And you'd have found her. So, she's safe. Because she's with you. And even if younger you doesn't know who she is, let's face it, you're Smallville. Past, present or future, you're always there for a damsel in distress."

He chuckled at that, knowing she couldn't possibly know that she'd just referred to herself as the one thing she despised being called more than anything in the world. He looked at her hand covering his, a grateful smile touching his lips, before he instinctively lifted their hands, gently placing a soft kiss on her skin.

And then he froze. Because while that was something he was certainly used to doing? She was definitely _not_ used to him doing it. Slowly, his eyes found her face, noting the slight pink tint on her cheeks, color he could feel crawling up the back of his own neck.

He quickly pulled his hand away, clearing his throat a bit before sending her a small grin. "Thanks, Lo."

Pulling her own hand back and running it quickly through her hair, as if to give it something to do other than dwell on the soft lips that had just been placed against it, she simply shrugged.

"What are friends for? So," she continued, looking to steer the conversation onto a different track. "What now?"

"First, I'm gonna head to the Fortress."

"You fixed it?"

Her question deflated him a bit.

"I haven't yet in your time?" he asked, his mind mentally flipping back to 2009, and realizing the answer to his own question before she was even able to respond. He mentally berated his younger self for not getting it up and running sooner. His Lois could have definitely used a working Fortress in 2009.

"No. Can I come? I've wanted to see that place since you told me about it. Well, see it while I'm actually conscious anyway."

"Right, you've been there," he said distractedly while weighing her request. "I don't know if it's such a good idea, Lois."

"Why? Come on, if I stay here, you know I'm just gonna snoop around. If you take me, you can keep an eye on me."

"There isn't anything for you to find here, I made sure of that," he shot back, the teasing glint in his eyes a welcome sight given the gravity of the situation.

"You underestimate me, Smallville," she replied, grinning that mischievous grin he couldn't resist.

He narrowed his eyes, considering her words. She was probably right. He'd hidden everything, but if anyone could find a crumb of information despite his best efforts, it was Lois.

"Okay," he finally acquiesced, chuckling at the bright smile that lit up her face in response. "But, I'm gonna take you to a different part of the Fortress, and you need to stay there while I talk to Jor-El."

"But I wanna meet him!"

"Lois," he said, "Promise or I lock you upstairs until I get back."

"Fine," she huffed, folding her arms in front of her. "I'll probably need a jacket though. And maybe a sweater. We are talking the Arctic after all and unlike you, the cold _does_ affect me."

"Don't worry," he said, knowing she'd be perfectly comfortable in the place that had become their retreat from the almost nonstop world they often found themselves in. "You'll be fine."

"Really?"

"You were last time," he shrugged.

"I was also unconscious, Clark."

"Trust me. I've got it under control."

"He says cryptically," she muttered under her breath, though one look at the smirk on Clark's face and she knew his superhearing had picked it up.

"Look, I've just gotta make one phone call, alright? I'll be upstairs," he said, reaching into his pocket for his cell and heading toward the staircase. "There's some pie in the refrigerator if you're hungry."

He jogged up the stairs and rounded the corner out of her line of sight, then she saw his head pop back around.

"And no snooping, Lane."

She rolled her eyes, moving toward the cabinet and grabbing a plate. Taking the apple pie from the fridge, she cut herself a healthy slice – being sent seven years into the future did nothing to decrease her love for Martha Kent's apple pie – and dug in, the familiar delicious flavor helping to calm her nerves a bit.

As she lifted her third large forkful toward her lips, the screen door creaked open, a familiar blond head entering in its wake. Head down and moving toward the living room, never noticing the person leaning against the far side of the island.

She grinned, setting down her fork. This could be fun.

"Hey Ollie."

He stopped suddenly, his body whirling toward the sound of her voice. His jaw dropped. Eyes blinked in confusion.

"What's up?" she asked nonchalantly, lifting another piece of pie to her mouth.

Oliver looked toward the stairs and then into the living room quickly, then back toward her.

"What are you doing here?"

"Gee, nice to see you too," she muttered, taking a sip of iced tea to wash down her pie.

"Lois, what happened? Didn't it work?"

She picked up on the worry in his voice, tilting her head slightly. "What do you mean?" she probed.

"Oh man," Ollie sighed, running a hand roughly over his face. "I've been off the grid trying to get the information we need, I haven't been in contact with Clark. Did something change?"

Noticing the panicky vibe that was starting to emanate from her ex-boyfriend, she moved around to the front of the island, taking a few steps toward him.

"Oliver…"

And then his face suddenly changed, much to Lois' confusion. His eyes dropped, for the first time taking in her entire body, resting momentarily on her stomach. When he finally met her gaze, sadness radiated from his features.

In two short strides, he had her encased in his arms.

"Oh my God, Lois…I'm so sorry," he said quietly, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back.

Tentatively returning the hug, utterly perplexed at Oliver's demeanor, she asked quietly, "Sorry for what?"

He pulled back, his hands resting on her shoulders. "Come on Lois, you don't have to be strong here. It's me. No one knows better than I do how much you and Clark wanted this baby."

She could swear her heart stopped, Oliver's words swirling in the air around them. Blinking several times, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, attempting to form a coherent word. Instead, Oliver's voice just continued to echo through her stunned mind.

_"…how much you and Clark wanted this baby."_

Finally, after staring at Oliver in shocked silence for what seemed like an eternity, she managed to stutter out one word.

"What?"

"I can't believe it," he said softly, apparently taking her surprise for grief over the situation. "After everything…man, I'm so sorry, Lois. How's Clark? He can't be taking this well at all."

"Clark?" she croaked, partly in response to Oliver's question, partly because the man himself had just appeared before her on the stairs, eyes widening at the sight in front of him.

"Oliver!" he called, a little too loudly, but getting the archer's attention just the same. His friend's sympathetic eyes as he turned toward him combined with the utterly gobsmacked look on Lois' face told him all he needed to know.

Clark closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose tightly before letting out a long breath. He walked over to her, placing his fingers under her chin and gently lifted her jaw off the floor. That seemed to snap her out of her trance as she shook her head slightly.

"Baby?"

Clark simply smiled at her, his hearing picking up the quickening of her heartbeat.

"So, I'm…I'm Mrs. Smallville?"

A soft laugh escaped his lips at the hint of happiness in her voice. He reached out and grasped her hand, squeezing it gently.

"You're Mrs. Smallville."


	9. Chapter 9

**2016**

"You're speechless," Clark said, unable to keep the grin from his face despite the situation. "Oliver, mark the date and time."

"Wait, wait," Oliver chimed in, confusion evident in his handsome features. "Will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on? Why is Lois still here?"

"It's a long story," Clark replied quietly. "But basically, something went wrong."

"Care to be more specific there Scout?"

"Oliver…," Clark said, his voice trailing off as he shot an anxious sideways glance toward a still shell-shocked Lois, then focused his gaze back on Oliver. "Later."

"The baby?" Oliver asked, undeterred by Clark's attempt to focus the conversation elsewhere, his eyes drifting to Lois' flat stomach.

Seeing the real concern in his friend's face, Clark sighed, divulging the one thing that the stunned woman in front of him already knew.

"This Lois isn't pregnant."

"_This_ Lois? I've been in this town too long, man," Oliver said tiredly, sinking down onto one of the kitchen stools.

"The short version, at least what we think happened, is that when my Lois went through the portal, she ended up in a different time than we'd planned."

"My time," a still slightly shocked Lois chimed in. "2009."

"Did you see her?" Oliver asked, a note of disbelief in his voice.

"Yeah, she did," Clark interjected, glancing at Lois. "She was with me, well, the younger version of me, in the caves when my Lois arrived."

"So they, what, switched places?"

"That's the working theory. I was just getting ready to go to the Fortress and see if Jor-El could shed any light on the situation."

"Wait," Lois said, glancing back and forth between the two men. "Not before I get some answers."

"Lois…"

"No way, Smallville. You just dropped one hell of a bomb on me."

"Technically, it was the Green Bean over there who couldn't keep his mouth shut," Clark replied dryly, eliciting a guilty look from the man in question.

She sank slowly down onto one of the stools next to the kitchen island. Almost absently, her hand went to her stomach.

"Pregnant?"

Clark moved toward her, resting a hand on her shoulder.

"You didn't turn me into some barefoot and knocked-up housewife did you Smallville? Because if so, superpowered or not, I will be forced to kick your ass," she said, an attempt at teasing but Clark, so well-versed in the ways of Lois Lane, picked up on the edge of anxiety in her voice.

He squeezed her shoulder gently. "Lois, even if that were possible, which, trust me, I know it isn't, I wouldn't want that. That's not who you are. It's not who _we_ are."

"Yeah, don't worry Lois, you're still getting into trouble on pretty much an hourly basis. Pregnancy hasn't slowed you down a bit," Oliver added dryly. "Though I'm sure _someone_," he paused, with a pointed look at his colleague and friend, "wouldn't mind terribly if it did."

Lois shot her ex a weak smile, her hand still resting over her stomach.

"Lois?" Clark prodded gently.

When she looked up at him, he could see anxiety mixed with a hint of wonder in her hazel eyes.

"I just…you could have told me a lot of things about my future, but this? Last thing I ever expected to hear," she said quietly. "I mean, I never really thought about having kids. But then," she paused, a small smile forming on her lips, "you always do seem to bring the unexpected into my life."

"That's only fair, since you never fail to surprise me every day," he responded quietly, his lips forming a gentle smile.

"Not to interrupt the past and present, or…I guess future, lovefest going on here, but, Clark, we need to figure this out."

Clark nodded, and then gestured between Oliver and Lois. "Well now that you know, think you can keep an eye on her while I head up to the Fortress?"

"Oh no, no way Smallville."

"Lois…"

"You are _not_ keeping me in the dark on this."

"It's safer this way, Lois. Just let me figure out what happened and…"

But before he could finish, he was cut off by a wave of her hand and the stare of Lois Lane defiance he knew oh so well.

"Whatever. You tell me we're hitched, and I'm pregnant, and you sent me travelling through time, why? I mean, I know you, Clark. You're the most overprotective guy I know. I find it hard to believe you'd let a pregnant me out of your sight, let alone out of your timeline."

She watched a silent look pass between Oliver and Clark.

"Something happened," she said softly, gauging their reactions. "Something bad."

"It's not important," Clark said, cutting her off. "The only important thing right now is making sure we get you back to where you belong and make sure my Lois is safe."

"And get her back here. That's the plan, right?"

"Yes," Clark answered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Just…not for a few days."

"Why?"

"Lois…"

"Look, Clark, maybe I can help."

"You know Scout, she might be right."

Clark turned a sharp gaze to his friend. "No way. I'm not putting _her_ in danger, too."

"This isn't your fault," Oliver replied quietly. "But look, man, Lois' condition, or in this case, lack thereof," he continued, gesturing down towards Lois' belly, "could be a good decoy. Get _him_ to back off and give us the time we need to make sure what we have against him is airtight."

"Okay, hold on. You two are driving me nuts here. Just tell me what's going on."

"Lois, it's not a good idea…"

"To know about the future, I get that, Clark," she interrupted. "I'm not asking you to tell me everything, but maybe a fresh perspective will help. We all want the same thing here. To fix this."

"I don't know," he said quietly, but Oliver shook his head.

"Seriously, man, I think the big bombshell's already been dropped, don't you?"

Clark eyed Lois, then gestured for her to sit down. "On one condition."

"Of course," she replied with a smirk.

"I know you and your questions, Lane. You just…you have to accept what I tell you, alright? I know you'll wanna know more, but…I need you to respect that I can only tell you certain things. Deal?"

Tilting her head thoughtfully, she gave him a slight nod. "Deal."

* * *

**2009**

"I guess the best place to start is with you."

"Me?"

"Yeah," Lois said, shifting her weight slightly to get more comfortable on the worn sofa. "I'm not giving you all the details, but let's just say your saves in Metropolis have become more…well, more public."

"Everyone knows who I am?" Clark asked, a hint of anxiety mixed with disbelief in his voice.

"No. No one knows it's Clark Kent doing the saving. They do, however, know Metropolis, and the world even, has an extraterrestrial friend with superpowers."

He blinked quickly, taking in the information. Digesting it.

"You're saying I have an alter ego?"

"Yup," she said, popping her 'p' slightly as she grinned at him.

"And I told the public about where I come from?"

"Yeah. You thought it was best. You wanted the public to trust you, so you were honest with them. At least, about your true origins and your intentions. And they do trust you," she said, pausing for a moment. "Well, most of them, anyway. You have a few detractors. One in particular, though he's pretty careful about making his distaste for you public. He has a reputation to uphold and all," she said, the disgust for said person clear to both Clark and Martha. "But behind the scenes? His obsession with you, with your alter ego, it's…it's terrifying," she finished quietly.

"This person, is he the reason you're here?" Martha asked.

"He is. He…found out something. And while he didn't necessarily jump to the right conclusion, he still managed to land on one that put us all at risk."

"Who is it?"

She looked back and forth between them, before shutting her eyes momentarily, her hand caressing her stomach in what appeared to be a comforting gesture.

"Lex."

* * *

**2016**

"Lex? As in Lex Luthor? The supposedly dead Lex Luthor?"

"The one and only," Oliver chimed in.

"But," Lois shook her head slightly, confused, "he knows your secret. Is that what this is about?"

"Actually, he doesn't. When he resurfaced about a couple of years ago, he'd somehow forgotten it. All he knows is that Clark Kent is a reporter for the Daily Planet and Su…"

"And there's a resident hero in Metropolis," Clark quickly interrupted, seeing Oliver clamp his mouth shut. Brow furrowed as she glanced between them, Lois opened her mouth to question further, but immediately closed it at the knowing look she received from Clark.

"Fine," she muttered. "Go ahead."

"Lex," Clark continued, "he's not my alter ego's biggest fan."

"I would imagine that anything that takes the focus off Lex wouldn't be something that makes him all that happy," Lois snarked.

"And he's basically made it his life's work to bring down our superfriend, and then dissect him so he can make his own superarmy to suit his own evil purposes," Oliver said.

"Okay, but I don't get what that has to do with me. I mean, you said Baldy doesn't know Clark and this superhero are one and the same."

"He doesn't. But you do have a connection to my alter ego. A pretty public one."

She nodded slowly in understanding. "Through the paper."

"Right."

"But," Oliver chimed in, "this wasn't even about Clark, or, his alter ego. Even though he'll try to blame himself until the cows come home, it was really about Lex and the fact that he's an evil bastard."

"Oliver," Clark tried to interrupt but the blonde man simply held up a hand in response.

"No, Clark. This was about what Lex is up to. Lois was going after him at the Planet and we _all_ were working on it behind the scenes to bust him once and for all."

"I see your guilt complex hasn't improved any in the future," Lois said. "But can we move on from the blame game here?"

Clark sighed, sending a frustrated look at Oliver before meeting Lois' gaze. "You remember the project Lex was working on, the one where your friend Wes was involved?" At Lois' nod, he continued. "Once he reappeared, he started it up again. Very quietly, of course, but between you and me digging at the paper and…information we were able to get through other avenues, we were able to uncover some of what he was doing. Only it wasn't just soldiers this time. He used criminals, John Does that showed up in hospitals, with no qualms about whether they were men or women, young or old."

"Oh my God," Lois breathed.

"And Oliver's wrong, it _does_ have something to do with me. Or at least, what he knows about my other identity. More specifically, my biology."

"He wants to form an army against you, to defeat you," Lois stated more than asked, and Clark nodded in response. "Wow, I see being presumed dead did nothing to eliminate the crazy," she said sarcastically.

"Not even a little bit," Oliver added. "Anyway, about a week ago, you came across something big. It was probably the first real piece of tangible evidence that could tie Lex to this project publically. Which, you know he doesn't want. And as if we needed more proof of his involvement, his first reaction when he'd found out what you uncovered was to kidnap you."

"Of course," Clark said, "it wasn't actually Lex, it was some of his lackeys. He'd never dirty his hands that way. You've been kidnapped before though, and usually I can get to you pretty quickly but…"

"But what?" Lois asked softly.

"This time…it was different."


	10. Chapter 10

_She struggled against the bonds, the skin on her wrists burning with the effort. It was dark, so though he hadn't blindfolded her, she could see precious little of her surroundings. Her teeth worked against the piece of cloth that was taut between her lips, hoping, perhaps fruitlessly, that her constant gnawing would fray it enough to work it loose, and perhaps even off. Her kidnappers were catching on – make sure Lois Lane can't call for Superman._

_She was just thankful that only her wrists, ankles, and mouth were restrained. The bastard hadn't tied anything around her pregnant middle._

_She was trying her best to stay calm, given her condition. And despite the seriousness of the situation – even knowing that in all likelihood her superhero husband would be arriving as soon as he realized what had happened – she couldn't help the feeling that ran through her. The same one she always got when she knew they__ knew that Lois Lane was onto them._

_Of course, given who it was this time, it was especially sweet. She, along with Clark and the rest of the Justice League, had been tracking the underground operation for months, the similarities to a certain bald billionaire's past experiments, most notably what he'd done to her friend Wes, had them all well convinced that Lex had begun another round of playing God._

_Proving that, however, hadn't been easy. Really, they still didn't have solid proof. However, the persistent digging seemed to at least rattle the publically unflappable Lex, given the fact that she was currently tied up in what appeared to be, if the murky shadows were any indication, an abandoned warehouse._

_And she just knew he was behind it. Of course, he hadn't been the one to grab her and he certainly wasn't the Neanderthal watching her but, and she'd get Clark to double check with his x-ray vision, she would bet money there were microscopic cameras littering the place._

_Lex was nothing if not thorough. And voyeuristic, especially when he wanted to someone squirm._

_Not that she'd ever give him the satisfaction._

_She heard the turn of a lock, followed by the creak of a door and the thud of footsteps heading towards her. Stilling her movements, she fixed her face into the best glare she could muster, given her current trussed up situation._

_As he came closer, a vague outline began to form in the darkness. She swallowed thickly at the shadow moving toward her, the stench of sweat rolling off him. A hand quickly materialized, barely giving her time to flinch back, before the gag was torn off her mouth._

_She gasped, before staring defiantly up at the faceless shadow._

_"Go ahead, girlie," he growled._

_"Go ahead, what?" she snapped back angrily._

_"Call your hero," he sneered._

_Her eyes narrowed at that, her stomach beginning to swirl anxiously. She flinched again as a light shone in her face, the first light she'd seen since she'd woken up from the conk on the head the thug had delivered._

_Refusing to give him the satisfaction, she stared at him, her stubbornness, even in the face of the danger she was in, present as always, even with the bright light shining on her._

_"I seriously doubt you want me to do that," she said, somehow managing to keep her voice steady._

_Before she could blink, the light was replaced with the barrel of a gun. Her hands wrenched against her binds, her maternal instinct to shield her unborn child kicking in strongly._

_"Wanna bet?" he answered, a cocky smirk firmly in place._  
_Her mind worked furiously, attempting to figure out his angle. No criminal in their right mind would actually **want** Superman to show up to rescue her. While he certainly wouldn't kill the criminal in question, he'd be headed to prison for a long stretch._

_She forced a smug grin to her face. Sure, she was still anxious, but with this guy's apparent desire for Superman to show up, she was fairly certain he didn't plan on hurting her. "I guess that makes you stupider than I thought."_

_He growled at that, pushing the gun forward a bit, causing Lois to flinch, the skin on her wrists burning from the constant friction against the ties._

_Through gritted teeth. "Call him. Now."_

_She gulped, her hands bracing against the restraints, the need to place a calming hand against her stomach, against their child, overpowering._

_"Tell me why," she demanded in a slightly shaky voice._

_He shrugged, a tilt to his lips. "I do what I'm told. And what I'm told is to make you call for him."_

_Of course._

_It was a trap, and she was the bait. This wasn't remotely out of the ordinary for Lex. Many times, he had attempted to get his hooks into Superman, desperately wanting to know his identity – and Clark, Lois and their friends hoped against hope that that forgotten memory would never resurface - , but more than that, wanting to control him, to experiment on him._

_But what she couldn't figure out was how they planned to do it. It would take Clark all of three seconds to fly in, use his superspeed to untie her, and get her out safely. About 4 seconds after that, Lex's lackey would be neatly tied to the nearest cement pole and a phone call placed to the police would let them know his whereabouts._

_"Come on, sweetheart," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Don't you want your hero to come to your rescue?"_

_Cocking an eyebrow, she shrugged as best she could with bound hands._

_"Seems like you want him here more than I do. Which seems strange given your…occupation," she finished in a more subdued tone, laced with a snarkiness her captor apparently didn't pick up._

_She'd seen types like him before. He wasn't in charge, but he liked to think he was. Too stupid to know he wasn't actually as brilliant as he thought he was coming off._

_Just keep him talking. That was the key. Push and prod until he was dying to impress her with his, or rather Lex's, grand plan._

_"Yeah, well I got plans for the flying freak."_

_She cringed at that, glaring at him. "I can't imagine any plan you have will actually work. No offense to your criminal sensibilities and all but, he **is** Superman."_

_"Even Superman has a weakness, sweetheart."_

_Lois swallowed hard at that, attempting to keep her composure. "And what's that?"_

_With a smirk, he backed away from her, heading for the door. She furrowed her brow in confusion, watching as he disappeared through the door momentarily before quickly reappearing. His right hand still held the gun, but his left hand was fisted. He took a few steps toward her, training the gun on her once more. Lifting his other hand, he opened it, an all too familiar green glow emanating from the center of his palm._

_"This place is surrounded, babe."_

_Her pulse began to race as the implications of his words sank in._

_"You know what this is, don't you?"_

_She kept silent, which she knew didn't really matter. Once Clark figured out she was missing, he didn't have to rely on hearing her voice. Her heartbeat had led him to her on many an occasion, and she had no doubt he'd be listening for that this time._

_When she failed to answer, he stepped closer, his hand thrust out a bit more._

_"This place is lousy with the stuff. So you see, your so-called hero won't make it through the door," he said cockily, a smirk tilting his lips._

_"And what makes you think he'll come?" she fired back._

_He just shook his head, moving even closer to her. "He always comes for you, sweetheart."_

_Sweat beaded on her forehead as she frantically tried to devise a way to get rid of her captor for just a few seconds, just enough to be able to whisper this latest development in the hopes that Clark's superhearing would pick it up. Sensing that probably wouldn't happen, she decided to go with a more obvious approach, hoping it reached her husband's ears._

_"Did you forget Superman's got x-ray vision? I'm sure he can pick up your little trap of meteor rock from miles away."_

_"Of course," he continued on proudly as if Lois hadn't said a word, taking one last step toward her, "it's not like he'll be able to see it. I covered it up with a lot of dirt and rocks out there," he finished, a little too proudly. Nothing would please her more in that moment than being able to reach out and smack that self-satisfaction off his face._

_She let out a gasp as a flash of pain suddenly ripped through her. Exhaling sharply, her eyes fell to her stomach._

_"The perfect trap," he said, finally shoving the green rock in her face. Another stab of pain, this one causing her hands to push against her bindings._

_What the hell was going on?_

_

* * *

_

**2009**

"I had no idea what was going on. All I knew was that I was in a hell of a lot of pain."

They had remained in the barn, Lois sitting on the couch with Martha beside her, a comforting arm around her shoulder. Clark sat on his old trunk across from her, listening intently. His eyes, though, kept drifting to her stomach, clearly still processing all he'd learned in the past little while.

"How did you figure it out?" Clark asked.

"That it was the Kryptonite? After a few minutes, he moved back some, and the pain started to lessen. Unfortunately, he noticed. So he came closer again, shoving that damn rock in my face. I tried to cover, you know? But I guess he wasn't as dumb as he looked."

"And that was the first time you'd come in contact with it since you've been pregnant?" Martha asked, gently squeezing Lois' hand.

"Yeah, thankfully. I mean, it never even occurred to me that…," her voice trailed off, and she shook her head slightly, as if collecting her thoughts. "Though I guess this is a pretty special situation," she finished softly, running a tender hand over her swollen belly.

"Lois?"

Her eyes lifted from her stomach at his quiet voice.

"Did it…the Kryptonite, did it hurt the baby?"

Tears sprung to her eyes at the undercurrent of pain and guilt in his voice. The exact tone, almost the same words, she'd heard from the man who'd held her hand in the hospital after she'd been checked out.

"The more things change," she mumbled softly, all too familiar with Clark's self-inflicted guilt trips. Clearing her throat, she leaned forward, reaching out to and grasping the fingers that rested on his knee. "The baby's fine, Clark. Emil gave us both a clean bill of health."

He stared at her for a moment, as if searching her eyes for even more reassurance than her words provided. Then he nodded.

"Good."

"But if the place was surrounded, how did you get out? I'm assuming Clark couldn't get in."

"Yeah, and how did anyone even know about Kryptonite?"

"Look," Lois said, holding up a hand. "I can't tell you everything, alright? I was rescued by…by some friends of ours. That's all you need to know about that. As for the Kryptonite, not many people do know."

"But Lex does."

"Yeah, he found out…well let's just say enemies of enemies are friends and leave it at that, okay?" she responded, averting her gaze as her mind wandered to a certain Kryptonite-hearted psycho who she'd had hope of redemption for once upon a time.

"If you tell me though, maybe I can…"

"Stop it? Believe me, I'd love nothing more than for Lex never to find out. But Clark, I'm already risking enough of the future as it is by telling you all of this. Even if that one thing would be a change for the better? I can't risk the domino effect it could have on other events in the future."

He sighed, an air of frustration emanating from him. "Okay."

"But that still doesn't explain why, well why all of this," Martha interjected. "This is a pretty desperate move."

"Oh there's more. What I told you was just the tip of the iceberg."

* * *

**2016**

_Shoving his glasses to the bridge of his nose, somewhat of a nervous habit he'd developed since he'd started wearing them, he paced around the Metropolis General's emergency room waiting area._

_He'd reluctantly left her side upon Emil's insistence that he just wanted to run a few more tests. It was a tricky situation, given whose baby she was pregnant with. While he wasn't nervous about **her** being examined by any doctor on call, the baby was another matter. His friend and colleague had assured him Lois was fine, as well as the baby, but given her and their child's exposure to meteor rock for the first time, he just wanted to be sure._

_He owed Bart and Ollie big time for managing to get to her when he couldn't._

_It hadn't occurred to him, or Lois either apparently, that she would be susceptible to Kryptonite in her condition. This was the first abnormal, for lack of a better word, turn in her pregnancy._

_They'd been so happy to find out Lois was expecting, but also anxious. They didn't know what to expect. Jor-El hadn't been much help, so they basically were taking it one day at a time._

_He watched over her like a hawk. Even moreso than usual. And though he knew she definitely bristled a bit under his constant watch, she'd tried to be more amenable to it given the situation, knowing that her life, which was precious to him to begin with, was twice that now that she was carrying their child._

_But, he thought to himself ruefully, it hadn't really slowed her down all that much. He knew her personal investment in uncovering Lex's project given what had happened to her old friend Wes. And, well, she had no love for Lex outside of that, given what she knew of the history he shared with his former best friend._

_So he hadn't been all that surprised when he'd heard she was kidnapped. Again. But what had blindsided him was when he'd found her via his superhearing and heard that trap that had been laid for him._

_Sure, Lex had had his plans before, but he'd never been as bold as to capture Lois and lace the place he was keeping her in with Kryptonite. And, without a doubt, this was Lex's work._

_Thankfully, he'd been able to get in touch with Bart, and while Oliver dealt with the scumbag who was holding her, Bart whisked her safely to Metropolis General. He'd been hovering above the warehouse, far enough so the meteor rock wouldn't affect him, watching anxiously as the rescue unfolded, only breathing a sigh of relief when she was safe at the hospital and he was able to meet her there._

_Emil began examining her almost immediately, giving him no time to talk to her about what had happened. He'd hugged her for a brief moment, needing to see her, to see that she was alright, before Emil began checking her over. Still shaking, she'd whispered to him that the meteor rock had hurt her._

_And that she was scared Lex might have seen it. Somehow._

_The panic in her eyes, fear for their baby, was as clear as a summer day in Smallville. Fear that had driven him to focus his hearing, fear that had abated a bit when he picked up not only her heartbeat, but that of their child._

_He couldn't remember ever seeing her so shaken up. Lois was kidnapped or threatened on pretty much a weekly basis, she wasn't that easily rattled._

_But this, whatever had gone down in that warehouse, had scared her._

_"How is she?"_

_Clark stiffened immediately at the all too familiar voice behind him. It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to slam the owner of that voice against the nearest wall._

_"The doctor's still checking her out," he answered brusquely, refusing to turn and look at the man who had once been his best friend. "What are you doing here, Lex?"_

_"I heard about Lois."_

_He wanted to turn and rail at him, blame him for her abduction, for the pain she was in. But he knew he couldn't. He had to let this play out if the league had any hope of taking down Luthor for good._

_"How?" he asked, finally turning to face Lex._

_"Lois is a pretty famous reporter, Clark. Her being kidnapped makes the news. Especially when a few superheroes come to her rescue. Even moreso if one of those heroes isn't Superman."_

_Clark shrugged nonchalantly. "What does it matter who saved her? The point is, she was rescued."_

_Lex simply chuckled. "Come on, Clark. We all know Lois is Superman's favorite damsel in distress, even if you're in denial about it."_

_Clark shook his head, turning back toward the door behind which Lois was still being examined. "I don't have time for this, Lex. I'm far more concerned about my wife and child than I am about your paranoid ramblings about Superman."_

_"Maybe you should be."_

_"Lex…"_

_"Don't you ever wonder about their relationship, Clark?" Lex interrupted. "You're a smart guy. It can't have escaped your attention that Superman is in love with your wife."_

_Clark stiffened slightly at that, keeping his back to Lex._

_"Don't you ever wonder if she feels the same way?"_

_A nagging sense of foreboding fluttered inside him. Still, years of practice had allowed him to perfect his poker face, at least in these types of situations and with pretty much anyone but Lois. So he turned toward Lex, a tight smile on his face, and responded with forced politeness._

_"Thanks for your concern, but my marriage is really none of your business."_

_"It's not like the stories haven't been around for years," Lex continued, as if Clark hadn't uttered a single word. "Superman and Lois Lane. You had to have wondered if there was any truth to them." Lex stepped closer. "It's not like it would be all that difficult for him to whisk her away for a little private time."_

_His jaw clenched, Clark turned toward Lex. "I guess you didn't hear me the first time. My marriage to Lois is not open for discussion."_

_Holding his hands up in mock surrender, Lex took a step back. "I'm just trying to look out for you."_

_"Since when?"_

_"We were friends once."_

_"A lifetime ago."_

_"Even so."_

_"Don't pretend this is about me, Lex. This is about your vendetta against Superman. You just want me on your side. Well, it's not gonna happen."_

_With a wry smile, Lex shook his head. "I guess love really is blind."_

_

* * *

_

**2016**

"I still can't believe Lex forgot your secret. I mean, I guess that's lucky, right?"

The three of them still surrounded the kitchen island at the Kent farm, though Lois was the only one sitting. With all of the surprises of which she was currently being informed, she wasn't sure her legs would hold her if she stood.

"Not that he hasn't made it his life's work to take down our hero regardless," Oliver chimed in.

"So, he thinks your alter ego and I are what, having a little something on the side?"

Clark sighed. "He does, and look, he's not the only one. Gossip columns have hinted at it for years. We just ignore it though."

"Okay, and I get that that's annoying and all, but honestly? If, like you say, that thought's been around for years, then why the drastic steps to get your Lois to safety? I mean, you sent her to another time. Seems like an overreaction if it's because of some rumor that's been floating around for a while."

Oliver and Clark exchanged a look, and Lois couldn't help but roll her eyes. They'd been doing that all night and it was annoying the hell out of her.

"Are you sure you two aren't the ones who are married? Because honestly, the nonverbals are driving me crazy."

A bit of levity brought to the seriousness, Clark actually cracked a smile. "I can always count on you to be consistent, Lo."

"Ah, so I guess some things don't change?" she responded with a grin.

He shook his head. "No. Thankfully," his expression had morphed back into all-business mode. "And you're right. Sending my Lois back in time, it wasn't just because of the kidnapping, or even my run in with Lex."

"There's more," Oliver said quietly.

Clark nodded. "Yeah, there is. I wasn't the only one Lex visited that day."

* * *

_Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light of the hospital room. Though Emil had checked her out – twice, and if her overprotective husband had his way there would have been a third time – and found everything to be fine with both her and the baby, he had insisted she stay overnight, just so he could keep a watchful eye on her to make sure there were no delayed effects from the Kryptonite exposure._

_She had argued, of course, insisting she was fine. But up against Clark and Emil, and worse, Clark's puppy dog eyes, it was a battle she lost._

_And while she was slightly annoyed – she wasn't the biggest fan of hospitals – she understood. Truthfully, she and Clark didn't know what to expect with this pregnancy, and as cautious as he usually was when it came to her, he was doubly so now. She had to admit, some of that had even rubbed off on her. Luckily, everything so far had progressed as any other, for lack of a better term, normal pregnancy would have and for that, she and Clark were both thankful._

_That is, until today. And her reaction to the meteor rock._

_Groaning, still a little sore from the binds that had held her earlier, she pushed herself into more of a sitting position. Spotting a piece of paper on the attached table, she picked it up, lips tilted slightly into a smile at her husband's familiar handwriting._

_The note, of course, held one of his patented, and often still somewhat lame, excuses. Not for her benefit, of course, but should any doctor or nurse other than Emil happen to come in and see it in his absence._

_Before she had the chance to wonder about the crisis he was dealing with, her door creaked open._

_"May I come in?"_

_Gritting her teeth, trying to stop herself from ripping him a new one, she managed what she hoped was a calm tone of voice._

_"What do you want Lex?"_

_"I just wanted to see how you were. I heard what happened," he answered, phony sympathy dripping from every syllable._

_"I'm sure you did," Lois said, her voice laced with sarcasm._

_"Retract the claws, Mrs. Kent," he said, a strange emphasis on the use of her married name immediately catching Lois' attention. "I come bearing gifts."_

_With that, he raised a bouquet of wildflowers and walked over to the bed, handing him to her._

_"So not necessary," she said. "But of course, you knew that. I'm sure you made a big show of waving this all over the hallway, making sure everyone knew you were coming to my room. Always the politician, huh, Lex?"_

_"So jaded, Lois," Lex sighed._

_"More like so onto you."_

_"I guess you could say that's mutual," he responded cryptically, earning a quirked eyebrow from Lois. His eyes found the hastily written note first, followed by his hand. Scanning it quickly, he smirked. "I'm surprised he left your side."_

_"Well he needs money, Lex. Spending hours in the hospital at my bedside, like you know he will, requires him to actually eat. And the food at Metropolis General isn't exactly free."_

_"I see your ordeal hasn't affected your utterly charming sarcasm," Lex snarked back. "I suppose it's convenient for you, though, that Clark has that flakiness about him."_

_She tilted her head, eyes narrowing. "Ah, so we're finally getting to the real reason you're here? You're gonna have to help me though, I've had a really long day. Not really up to cracking the cryptic Luthor code at the moment."_

_"Cryptic, me?" Lex grinned. "Never. Just an observation."_

_"Hmmm. Well, you've made your very public visit to my hospital room Lex, and now you can go."_

_Stepping closer to her, he reached into the pocket of his sport coat, retrieving a small, black box._

_"Not quite yet, Lois. I have one more gift for you."_

_

* * *

_

**2009**

"What was it?" Martha asked, and even Lois could pick up on the hint of anxiousness in her voice.

Lois opened her mouth to answer, but Clark jumped in before she had the chance.

"Kryptonite," he said. He tilted his head slightly at Lois' raised eyebrow. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"Good work, Smallville. I see those reporter instincts kicking in already."

"And that's why I…he..well your Clark sent you here, right? Lex figured out my secret? Again?"

"No, actually he didn't. He leaped to the completely wrong conclusion. That I was having an affair with…," she paused, seeming to catch herself. "With your alter ego. Which, in and of itself isn't a problem, until you remember that everyone in my time knows of your otherworldly origins."

"He realized the baby is half alien," Martha breathed.

"Right. And you know Lex and his experiments. The opportunity to get his hands on a half-human and half-alien baby was too juicy a prospect to pass up. And let's not forget the woman carrying this child."

Clark's jaw clenched, and Lois could see him shaking slightly with barely restrained anger.

"Clark," she said softly, trying to draw his attention back to her and away from his anger at a man that, at least this Clark, wouldn't confront again for years. "Don't worry. He didn't get the chance. Thankfully his little stunt in my hospital room was short-lived."

"But how?" he asked, his voice laced with anxiety. "If Lex had Kryptonite, I couldn't have gotten you away from him."

"You didn't."

"Then, who did?"

Lois grinned. "A friend."


End file.
